State building and Security Reforms in the Context of the Palestinian Experience 2007-2016 رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

I look into the circumstances and factors that have bearing on the process of building a Palestinian state, as well as the security sector reform efforts between 2007 and 2016. My thesis focuses on the concepts and theories related to the process of state-building, the understanding of which is expected to inform policy-makers on the best model to be taken by the Palestinians. For apprehension, I provided a review of the challenges and obstacles that preclude building an independent, viable Palestinian state. Part of the effort was a detailed survey of the most important stages of the reform process in the PA institutions, particularly the security services. To put the pieces together and narrow down my research into specific issues of concern, I have raised a set of questions: What are the security reforms taken after 2007? What is security doctrine? What is the impact of the Palestinian political divide on reforms? What is the Palestinian state-building model? How have Israeli policies affected state-building and reforms? What are the main challenges to the process of reforming the Palestinian security sector and building the state? How has Salam Fayyad contributed to security sector reform and empowering the PA institutions? What are the consequences of power overlap on building a Palestinian state? To provide adequate answers to such questions, I have used the descriptive approach and field study methods. Data were collected from two different sources. The primary data were obtained from the PA and PLO official documents, speeches and interviews, while secondary data were taken from books, articles, newspapers, magazines, etc. 12 The study found that the state-building process and introducing effective reforms in the security sector were not independent. Rather, they were driven by external pressures from the international community. We also found that the performance of the security services in maintaining internal security was relatively poor due to Israeli frequent incursions in the PA territories. Our results suggest that building a Palestinian state will always be impeded by Israeli restrictions. Finally, our analysis suggested the democratic version, which is based on political pluralism and legislative elections is the most appropriate model for building a Palestinian state. The study concluded with a set of recommendations, particularly drafting a security doctrine under the supervision of the Legislative Council; building an organizational structure for the security services commensurate with the construction of a modern state that protects human rights and the rule of law; and promoting public involvement in the reform process, making sure the citizens have access to sufficient information about the developments in the process.