Written by: Dr. Talal Abu Rukba
The ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, coupled with the silent war in the West Bank, has starkly revealed the true nature of Israel's policies aimed at eradicating the Palestinian cause. These policies seek to undermine the Palestinian presence in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Effectively confronting these policies demands unified efforts from all Palestinian components to strengthen resilience and reinforce steadfast presence on the ground.
The Palestinian government’s launch of the National Development and Reform Program marks a pivotal step to support citizens’ steadfastness against the occupation’s relentless policies of displacement and erasure, which aim to impose irreversible changes on Palestinian land. In the draft of the program's first phase, the government emphasized its aim to accelerate recovery from the profound economic shock caused by Israeli aggression on Gaza and the West Bank. The program aims to address long-standing structural imbalances, enhance self-reliance, boost economic growth, and reduce poverty and unemployment. These efforts are designed to lay the foundation for comprehensive and integrated development across all sectors, fostering meaningful positive change on the ground.
The strategic framework of the National Development and Reform Program outlined the primary priorities and urgent interventions for the next phase, positioning them as top national imperatives requiring immediate action. The framework focuses on two main pillars:
- Developmental Initiatives: Seven key initiatives aimed at driving economic recovery and transformation:
- Food security
- Transition to renewable energy sources
- Localization of healthcare services
- Enhancing the sustainability of local authorities
- Education for development
- Comprehensive social protection
- Advancement of the digital payment system as a step toward full digital transformation.
- Development of Institutional Performance and Legislation: This pillar focuses on:
- Reforms in financial policies and public finance management
- Strengthening governance systems and the rule of law
- Enhancement of the legislative and regulatory framework for investment and business
- Foster consultation and integration in implementation.
These measures aim to improve the delivery of essential services, including water, electricity, healthcare, telecommunications, and social welfare.
Research is ongoing to develop a financial system aimed at strengthening citizens’ resilience and compensating for demolitions, particularly in C Areas of the West Bank. A specialized committee has been formed to set criteria and govern this effort, with members from the Ministries of Local Government, Finance, Jerusalem Affairs, and the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission.
Strengthening the resilience of citizens in C Areas of the West Bank is of utmost importance, especially since Israel actively seeks to control and annex these lands through systematic displacement and oppression of the Palestinian population. In this context, it is vital to involve all relevant stakeholders, particularly civil society organizations (CSOs) and the private sector, in setting standards and defining priorities for intervention.
Palestinian CSOs, with their extensive experience, are well-equipped to play a crucial role in strengthening citizens' resilience while integrating relief, recovery, and development efforts. Expanding the committee to include these stakeholders will provide innovative ideas and practical solutions, directly enhancing its operational capacity.
Simultaneously, encouraging private sector investment in these areas will bolster national efforts to achieve the committee's objectives. Establishing a clear timeline for the committee’s work is critical. Given the urgency of Israeli actions to Judaize and confiscate Area C, every moment must be utilized to reinforce national resilience on Palestinian land.
The involvement of both civil society and the private sector is vital to the success of the committee’s success in strengthening citizens' resilience in Area C of the West Bank. This is especially critical in light of the financial crises and obstacles imposed by Israel, including the withholding of the clearance funds and economic sanctions on the Palestinian Authority. These actions have led to a budget shortfall, leaving the Palestinian Authority unable to pay employees' salaries, raising doubts about the government's ability to effectively address this issue.
The government’s lack of sovereignty authority over C Areas presents an additional significant challenge in countering Israel’s ongoing efforts – spanning more than 30 years since the Oslo Accords – to reshape the area’s demographic and geographical reality, thereby hindering resistance to Israeli policies of displacement and dismantling.
However, this does not imply resignation to the imposed reality. On the contrary, it necessitates a united comprehensive Palestinian response, involving all political, societal, official, and civil components. Achieving this requires the government to take a series of steps. First, it is crucial to involve all relevant stakeholders in defining strategies and mechanisms to combat Israeli policies in Area C. This includes leveraging the experience of CSOs to develop effective solutions and fostering genuine private sector involvement through targeted investment projects can create opportunities for citizens and strengthen their resilience in the face of ongoing challenges.
Strengthening the role of the Palestinian private sector is essential for fostering economic growth. This can be achieved by promoting innovative economic projects, eliminating monopolies, and addressing issues such as wage disparities and gender inequality. The private sector must play a leading role in driving development and creating job opportunities. This includes establishing a formal partnership framework involving key stakeholders in building the national economy, such as fostering collaboration between universities, the private sector, and government institutions.
Encouraging Palestinian entrepreneurs to invest locally can be achieved through supportive legislation, such as tax exemptions for emerging, productive, and technological projects, particularly those led by youth. The development of social policies must also focus on restoring national identity and fostering a culture of social solidarity —an essential mechanism for enhancing societal resilience. The committee’s efforts should prioritize dignity, justice, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability, while promoting the development of community networks and alliances to establish equitable and transparent standards for accessing financial support. These efforts must be free from favoritism and nepotism, challenges that have long plagued Palestinian institutions.
Preserving a sense of collective solidarity and protecting the of the social fabric is critical to countering the occupation’s policies, which aim to fragment Palestinian lands and advance liquidation plans. This requires urgent, sustained solidarity campaigns from all sectors to support citizens in C Areas C of the West Bank and those facing home demolitions in occupied Jerusalem. Such efforts should go beyond providing direct assistance to fostering national responsibility and a collective sense of unity among all Palestinian political and social components.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's views and not necessarily the Association's or donor's opinion.
