Politicization of Aid in Palestine

Abstract

however, to take into consideration that the PNA political agenda was most aligned with the donor communitys during this era. Moreover, the Gaza Strip was completely marginalized and lacked any viable funding channels for development due to non-aligning political positions.

Its important to point out that the ODA flow to the Palestinians has been highly politicized depending on the existing political environment at that time and, predominantly, the security situation. The dependency of the PNA on ODA flows amid this violently transformative political environment has further crippled the possibility of a politically and economically sovereign Palestinian state. In short the analysis of the ODA flows to the PNA since its inception in 1993 indicates that ODA has been highly political and in the service of the foreign political agendas with slight reflection to the local populations priorities and aspirations.

This paper assesses the effectiveness of the influx of Official Development Assistance to the Palestinian people through the Palestinian National Authority, since its inception in 1994. The evaluation process encompasses the reality of the highly politicized nature of the occupied Palestinian territories. The research findings highlight the extremely politicized nature of the Palestinian context. Moreover, it reaffirms the uniqueness of the Palestinian situation and the role of the Israeli occupation in the effectiveness of Official Development Assistance.

The effectiveness of the Paris Declaration indicators vary based on the political system existing at the time. For instance, the effectiveness of ODA increased during the Fayyadism era, when compared to the previous political systems. This is due in large to the better coordination environment between the donor community and the PNA. It is imperative