[Two articles by Timothy Rothermel, a UN executive, about how the Palestinians have managed to create the infrastructure of a modern state despite their disastrous situation. A role model for the area without American occupation!!]

 

Amid war, Palestinians develop a state

Timothy Rothermel

The Daily Star, Beirut

December 2,  2003

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/opinion/02_12_03_b.asp

 

Trends in development policy and diplomacy are influenced by contemporary global challenges. Some of these challenges fall into two distinct categories, namely, prevention and recovery.

 

Good examples of prevention and recovery might be Kashmir on the one hand, and the Balkans on the other. University courses abound on such subjects as crisis prevention, preventive diplomacy, reintegration, etc. The literature is filled with phrases such as natural disaster reduction, postwar reconstruction, peacekeeping and the like. These areas of specialization form the basis of important development interventions designed to prevent both natural and man-made tragedies and conflicts ­ and once such events have occurred, to recover and rebuild in their aftermath. Indeed, for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) crisis prevention and recovery are an increasingly significant part of its work.

 

But an aspect of the development continuum that falls between the cracks of prevention and recovery is development during an actual crisis. And it is precisely in this area that the UNDP must of necessity focus its efforts on the occupied Palestinian territories. Unfortunately, for several years, in spite of courageous efforts to halt it, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict persists with particularly disastrous implications for the Palestinian people. It is premature to begin the traditional task of post-conflict recovery. Rather, the international community must face the unique task of carrying out sustainable development in the midst of an all-too-lengthy man-made crisis.

 

The statistics of the past three years of conflict reflect the immense problems faced by both sides: 4,224 deaths and 42,761 injured and an Israeli economy that must support the costs of a massive military establishment, a diminishing tourism industry and a population that is fearful for its daily security. On the Palestinian side, not only are the losses (whether wounded or killed) almost 300 percent greater, but in literally hundreds of ways, in every city and village, aspirations have been dashed, livelihoods denied, movements restricted and psyches ­ especially those of the young ­ shattered. And for the Palestinians, the numbers, which cannot really reflect the subjective toll of the conflict, are staggering: Currently the unemployment rate is estimated at 46 percent, the percentage of the population living below the poverty line (equivalent to a daily income of $2) is 60 percent, and direct damage to the economy is estimated at $11.7 billion.

 

The common public perception of the situation is mostly fueled by images of burned Israeli buses and destroyed Palestinian orchards. Yet scratch the surface and something quite phenomenal is taking place within Palestinian society, in spite of the destruction and the statistics. Vibrant, talented, peaceful and resolute citizens are showing their determination, in spite of suffering, to forge a peaceful, democratic and pluralistic state with institutions that will allow Palestinians to take their rightful place in the society of nations. Since the inception of the Palestinian National Authority in 1994, governmental institutions that are second to none in the Middle East have emerged, including:

 

§    A very competent Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics;

 

§    A diligent Palestinian Water Authority that is helping manage meager water resources against tough odds;

 

§    A Finance Ministry that under the leadership of a former International Monetary Fund representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Salam Fayyad, is managing very scarce financial resources in a skilled manner comparable to similar institutions in developed nations.

 

§    A Central Elections Commission that is staffed and prepared, should circumstances permit and particular closures be rescinded, to professionally oversee the country�s second presidential and legislative elections, as well as its first election of municipal and local officials;

 

§    An indigenously initiated governmental reform process that has undertaken significant improvements in the functioning of the judiciary system, including the establishment of state-of-the-art courthouses, modern procedures for effective local governance, training for a cadre of professional diplomats and detailed mapping of many cultural and archaeological treasures;

 

§    A sophisticated investment promotion organization, ready to go into high gear as soon as the crisis passes.

 

Likewise, in civil society and in the private sector Palestinians have in recent years developed or improved highly respectable organizations that address human rights and transparency in governance issues and institutions dealing with youth, public health and community participation.

 

For example, two relatively new institutions, the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy and the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity, have received international recognition for their accomplishments. In the field of Information Technology, five independent providers are competing for cell phone customers, e-business is thriving and e-government is being introduced; not to mention the beginning of implementation of an innovative activity called SchoolNet, which will soon have all school classrooms equipped with computers and trained computer instructors.

 

What is truly remarkable about these accomplishments is that, first, they have been for the most part initiated and carried out entirely by Palestinians themselves, including several hundred from the diaspora. Second, they continue to flourish despite daily setbacks and tragedies. The international community, including the UNDP and other UN organizations, has been present to act as a partner and to lend a helping hand whenever possible, but the intellectual spark and the drive for institutional excellence has come from within the remarkable Palestinian society.

 

Have there been mistakes? Yes. Has there been some corruption? Undeniably. Will more young Palestinians who are desperate seek retribution by strapping themselves with bombs? This cannot be excluded. Is there a long way to go? Definitely. Is it imperative that donors continue to provide support to the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories? Absolutely. The accomplishments that have been achieved in a conflict situation prove how viable development can progress in the face of adversity.

 

As the search for democratic, secular and progressive states in the Middle East continues, the seeds have already been sown and are ready to blossom in the occupied Palestinian territories (if only they were provided with the opportunity), and not at a price of tens of billions of dollars. In a world seeking to eliminate what is considered the most persistent irritants leading to terrorism, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is one that, above all others, yearns for a just and rational resolution. And here is where those with the power to accomplish such a resolution should not falter, be deterred or be misled in the achievement of peace.

 

 

Despite the gloom, Palestinian society is thriving

Beyond the statistics

By Timothy Rothermel (IHT)

International Herald Tribune, Tuesday, December 2, 2003

 

http://www.iht.com/ihtsearch.php?id=119810&owner=(IHT)&date=20031203130937

 

JERUSALEM: The images and statistics of the past three years of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict create a terrible picture - the burning buses, destroyed homes, the separation wall, more than 4,000 dead and tens of thousands injured.

 

Among the Palestinians, the rate of unemployment is 46 percent; 57 percent of the population in the West Bank and 84 percent of the population in Gaza live below the poverty line of two dollars per day, and direct damage to the economy has been estimated at $11.7 billion.

 

Yet scratch the surface just a little deeper and something quite phenomenal is taking place in Palestinian society, despite the photographs and statistics. There is a vibrant, talented, peaceful and very resolute society that is determined, in spite of suffering, to forge a peaceful, democratic and pluralistic state with institutions that are fully prepared for Palestinians to take their rightful place among the society of nations.

 

Since the inception of the Palestinian National Authority in 1994, governmental institutions that are second to none in the Middle East have emerged. They include a very competent Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, a diligent Palestinian Water Authority and a Ministry of Finance that, under the leadership of Salam Fayed, is competently managing very scarce financial resources.

 

A Central Elections Commission is staffed and prepared, should circumstances allow for an election. An indigenously initiated governmental reform process has undertaken significant improvements in the functioning of the judiciary system, including state-of-the-art courthouses. There are modern procedures for effective local governance and a sophisticated investment promotion organization. The list could go on.

 

Likewise, in civil society and in the private sector Palestinians have in recent years developed or improved highly respectable organizations dealing with human rights, transparency in governance and institutions dealing with youth, public health and community participation. It is estimated that there are more than 1,000 Palestinian nongovernment organizations.

 

What is remarkable is that most of these institutions are run by the Palestinians themselves, and that they continue to flourish in spite of daily setbacks and tragedies. The international community, including the United Nations Development Program, has lent a nurturing hand whenever possible, but the intellectual spark and the drive for institutional excellence has come from within the Palestinian society.

 

Have there been mistakes? Yes. Has there been some corruption? Undeniably. Will more young Palestinians strap themselves with bombs? That is not to be excluded. Is there a long way to go? Definitely. Is it imperative that donors continue to provide support to Palestinians? Absolutely. But the accomplishments that have been achieved under conditions of conflict is an example of how viable development can progress in the face of adversity.

 

In a world in which there is now a search for a democratic, secular and progressive state in the Middle East, the seeds have already been sown and are ready to blossom in the occupied Palestinian territories - if only given the opportunity. In a world seeking to eliminate what is considered the most persistent irritant leading to terrorism, here is a conflict that, above all others, yearns for a just and rational resolution. And here is where those with the power to do so should not falter, be deterred or be misled in the achievement of peace.

 

The writer is the United Nations Development Program's special representative in Jerusalem.