Uclg Country Profiles
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UCLG COUNTRY PROFILES Palestinian National Authority (ةينيطسلفلا ةينطولا ةطلسلا) Capital: Ramallah Inhabitants: 3.900.000 (2008) 1. Introduction turn of the 20th century. After the State of Israel was formed in 1948, the West Bank was administered by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, while the Gaza Strip was under Egyptian control. In 1967, as an outcome of the second Arab-Israeli war, Israel occupied all of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and annexed East Jerusalem to its territory. The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) organised Palestine comprises two geographical resistance to the occupation from outside regions: the West Bank (5,842 km²) and the Occupied Territories under the aegis of the Gaza Strip (365 km²). The two regions its President, Yasser Arafat. In the West have been separated by the State of Israel Bank and the Gaza Strip, his ideas were since 1948. relayed by mayors, directors of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, In 2000, Palestine’s population was 3.2 union and associative officials and religious million: 1,840,000 inhabitants in the West leaders. Bank, 1,120,000 in the Gaza Strip and 228,000 in East Jerusalem. Gaza City is the When the peace agreements known as the most populated agglomeration (353,632 Oslo Accords were signed between the inhabitants), far ahead of the two main State of Israel and the PLO on 13 towns of the West Bank, Nablus and September 1993, this signaled a major Hebron, which have around 100,000 political turning point for Palestinians. They inhabitants each. Population density is hoped that through these agreements they much greater in the Gaza Strip than in the would obtain a State and put an end to the West Bank, as urban development is more occupation of their land. To this effect, the advanced and it covers a narrower area. agreements set out withdrawal measures The Gaza Strip houses a large refugee and the redeployment of the Israeli army, population, however, living in camps as well as the transfer of power to the administered by UNRWA, the United Palestinians. Nations Agency charged with providing services to Palestinian refugees. A new political institution–the Palestinian Authority–was put in place. This was the Following rule by the Ottoman Empire in country’s first experience of a truly the 19th century, Palestine came under national political structure. It led to the British military and political control at the UNITED CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS COUNTY PROFILE: PALESTINE creation of ministries, the establishment of separation has existed between the Gaza a police force, the election of a Parliament Strip, which is isolated in international (the Legislative Council) and a President in terms as it is controlled by Islamists, and 1996, and also the appointment of a the West Bank, which is more or less back government. The Palestinian Authority under Fatah’s control. holds mainly civil powers (education, health, justice, taxation, agriculture, Municipalities in Palestine are very old industry, etc.) over populations in the West institutions which existed prior to the Bank and the Gaza Strip. establishment of an indigenous political centre in the Territories. They were On the territorial level, implementation of gradually established in waves from the the Oslo Accords led to the process of second half of the 19th century onwards, dividing up the Territories. The West Bank and were the only authorised political was split into three zones with distinct institutions during the period of Israeli legal status. These zones do not have any occupation (1967–1993). During the 1970s territorial continuity, as they are riddled and 1980s and at the time of local with more and more colonies, by-pass elections held in the West Bank (in 1972 roads (for Israelis only) and Israeli military and later in 1976), these institutions were blockades. Since 2002, fragmentation of important arenas for the national struggle, the land has worsened due to the walls so Israeli State leaders tried to promote built in and/or around Palestinians towns, alternative leadership to the urban elite by including Jerusalem. co-opting important figures in the campaigns. They also launched repressive The Gaza Strip has been separated from policies with regard to nationalist mayors, the rest of the Palestinian Territories since who were asked to resign, forcibly 1993. Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza removed, deported and exiled or became Strip in August 2005 did not change the victims of assassination attempts. situation. The land, air and sea borders of Municipal councils in Palestine also this part of Palestinian territory remain progressively lost their elected members. Israel’s responsibility. In this way, during the first Intifada (1987–93), the Palestinian national The fact that land issues have not been leadership urged people to create local resolved was largely the cause of the alternatives to the municipal structure. The resurgence in armed violence between the popular committees that emerged two sides and sparked the second Intifada organised the distribution of supplies and in September 2000. Palestinian attacks on services in local neighbourhoods. Israel and the Tsahal bombardments of Palestinian towns have increasingly Since the Palestinian Authority was represented a kiss of death for the Oslo established in 1994, it has attempted to Accords. resurrect municipal institutions, and a series of decentralisation measures were Since Islamists took power in January adopted with this in mind. The 1997 Law 2006, the Fatah political faction, which on Local Issues meant that the legal started the national movement, has been framework for local government could be sidelined from the management of political unified and that the various legal pieces of affairs. The economic situation has become documentation in place could be simplified, even more critical as major sponsors have streamlined and standardised. Until this decided to cut supplies to the Hamas point, various legislations from the government. Since June 2007, political Ottoman, British, Egyptian and Jordanian II UNITED CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS COUNTY PROFILE: PALESTINE periods overlapped, without taking the “introduce” the private sector into public many existing Israeli military decrees into service provision to ensure that they are account. managed profitably. Palestinian law does not give a preference for one or any of The role of the Oslo Accords was to these definitions. establish a State structure, and the main functions that ought to refer to “local” issues were in agreement. Municipalities 2. Territorial Structure were seen first of all as a form of institutional and territorial support for the 2.1 Structure and role of local authorities new political centre. They were later seen as units that contribute to local economic There are three levels of government in development. Lastly, they were seen as Palestine: central, regional (muhafaza) and potential arenas for experimenting with municipal. democracy. The Law of 1997 uses the terms “local With the arrival of Yasser Arafat in the government”, “local units”, “municipalities” Territories (1994) came many legal and and “village councils”, but it does not use institutional changes relating to local the term “decentralisation”. On the other affairs. hand, internal documentation from the Ministry of Local Government and main At the central level, a Ministry of Local financial sponsors make many references Government (MLG) was established in to it. 1994. Its role is to provide the local administration system with a new legal Four different concepts of decentralisation framework. Two laws were adopted: the have emerged on the political scene since Law “on the Elections of Local Palestinian the establishment of the Authority. The Councils” of December 1996 and the Law first refers to “decentralisation” as the “on Local Issues” of September 1997. process of decentralising political powers that allow the recently-formed State to At the same time, fourteen governorates exercise control over local institutions and (or muhafazas) were established to replace personalities. This point of view is held the Israeli administrative regions. There mainly by security structures and State were nine in the West Bank (Nablus, representatives in the governorates. The Qalqilya, Tulkarem, Jenin, Jericho, second concept links “decentralisation” and Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron and municipal autonomy. Supported by elected Jerusalem) and five in the Gaza Strip officials, this turns proximity into proof of (North Gaza, Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, genuine involvement and quality services. Khan Younis and Rafah). There are two The third trend considers “decentralisation” governorates in other areas, which have as a way to promote intermunicipal “autonomous district” status (Toubas and structures with a view to developing local Salfit). autonomy. Advocated by the Minister of Local Government, it links the importance Finally, many “new municipalities” (al- of building of a State with a democratic baladiyyat al-jedida) have been set up. vision for the future. Lastly, the fourth idea They are either made up of old village sees “decentralisation” as part of the councils or areas that were not previously “privatisation” process. This concept is held legally recognised. They join the 31 “old by technical administrations (the water municipalities” (26 in the West Bank and 5 board, the electricity board) that aim to in the Gaza Strip). In total, there are 74 III UNITED CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS COUNTY PROFILE: PALESTINE municipalities (63 in the West Bank and 11 but there were also rumours, and no voting in the Gaza Strip). There are also 368 ever took place. The authorities cited the village councils. ongoing Israeli occupation as the reason for the delay, but there were certainly There are no overall statistics available for some concerns over an Islamist victory. local authority budgets. Instead, Yasser Arafat appointed mayors and municipal councillors in consultation 2.2 Administration of the capital and the with the “clans” (or hamulas) of each issue of the status of Jerusalem constituency.