Middle East and North Africa: West Bank and Gaza
Political OverviewDespite the existence of multiple political parties, Palestinian society remains largely polarized between the ruling Hamas movement and its foremost rival, Fateh. During the January 2006 parliamentary elections, Hamas upset decades of Fateh political dominance when it won 74 out of 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The broader international community has refused to recognize Hamas's control over the Palestinian Authority (PA), since the party does not recognize Israel and has refused to renounce violence as a means to achieve political goals. Fateh, whose leadership recognizes Israel, forswears violence, and endorses preexisting agreements, remains notorious among Palestinians for endemic corruption and ineptitude. Tension between the two parties remains high and eclipses smaller, reform-minded parties eager to initiate progressive policies.
Yasser Arafat's death in November 2004 ushered in a new era in Palestinian politics. Arafat's concentrated power devolved to a revamped and expanded PLC, while open elections determined his successor as Mahmoud Abbas. These developments created an historic opportunity and initiated democratic momentum. The successful outcome of these developments, however, remains contingent on the enhancement of multiparty pluralism and the fair and proper execution of elections and political processes.
Program Overview
NDI provides training and support to democrats and civic organizations throughout the West Bank and Gaza. Through cooperation with local partners, NDI programs aim to enhance multiparty pluralism by providing assistance to democratic political movements, to ensure free and fair elections through monitoring and observation, and to enhance political competition and representative governance through trainings in campaign organization and platform development.
The recent municipal and presidential elections provided important opportunities and training for NDI's political party partners. The development of Palestinian political parties, which includes the active participation of women activists, is a long-term endeavor. The elections of the past two years provided Palestinian political parties with meaningful opportunities to reengage with one another, reinvigorating the political process and furthering party development.
Recent Activities
Political Party Strengthening
Throughout the elections, NDI conducted a variety of campaign schools and consultations that concentrated on applicable skills such as: organizing a campaign team, building a field organization, campaign planning, targeting and research, developing and implementing a voter contact strategy, communications strategies, selecting and preparing candidates, and fundraising. Additionally, NDI provided training programs in campaign management and candidate training for the 2006 parliamentary elections.
Prior to the 2005 presidential elections, NDI mediated efforts that led to the signing of a code of conduct between 12 Palestinian factions, the first time such an agreement was achieved. The code committed the factions to transparency, fairness, and honest competition in the PLC elections. As a follow up on the code of conduct for Palestinian political parties, NDI held consultations with The Arab Thought Forum on monitoring compliance with the code.
International Observation of Electoral Processes
The purpose of NDI's observation efforts is: 1) to demonstrate the international community's continuing commitment to open and transparent elections through the deployment of international observers who will offer an impartial assessment of and comprehensive report on the elections in the context of Palestinian electoral and political processes as a whole, and 2) to strengthen the electoral process by identifying real or potential problems and offering recommendations on how these problems can be resolved. Missions have included:
Background
NDI has been implementing programs in the Palestinian Territories since 1994, when it launched Civic Forum, a grassroots civic education program which later burgeoned into an independent Palestinian-run organization in 1998. Since then NDI has implemented dozens of programs on key issues such as women's political participation, promoting political pluralism, and strengthening local government. NDI has also conducted domestic and international election observation missions, survey research, trainings on political party development, and assessments of voter registration and has also hosted legal workshops for PLC members.
In July 2003, NDI launched a long-term party-strengthening program to promote the development of a multiparty system. The first phase of the program sought to: 1) create awareness of the role and function of political parties in a democratic political process, and 2) provide party leaders and activists with the skills and knowledge needed to reinvigorate the role of parties in Palestinian political life. NDI has also commissioned focus groups to explore some of the particular challenges Palestinian democrats face, such as managing the perceived conflict between secular politics and Islam and linking the push to "reform" the PA with U.S. and Israeli policy interests.
Contact Information
For further information on our programs in West Bank and Gaza, please contact:
Lindsay Workman, Senior Program Officer
Updated March 2008
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