The Peace Process and the Palestinian Political Landscape

This article examines forces and events that have influenced the Palestinian political landscape over the past two decades, focusing, among other things, on the failure of the peace process and its effect on the changing relations among political elites and trends in the Palestinian occupied territories. While reflecting on the prospects for peacemaking between Israel and the Palestinians, from the start of the 1987 Intifada until the eruption of the second Intifada in 2000, this article will highlight factors that have contributed to the collapse of the Oslo Accords, the Camp David II Summit and the Road Map formula. The obstacles that have generally caused the failure of these peace plans include the continuation of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, the U.S.'s credibility problem in the region and the growing corruption attributed to the Palestinian Authority. As Palestinians and Israelis became engaged in bilateral and multilateral talks during the past two decades, they confronted several anticipated challenges that have halted their peace efforts. The unequal balance of power between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, the continuation of Israel's military occupation of the Palestinian territories and the U.S.'s continued backing of Israel were, and remain, among the prime factors that have led to the collapse of almost all available peace plans intended to resolve the conflict. The escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, during the second Intifada in 2000, essentially halted the peace process and intensified tensions between the incumbent and opposition elites within the Palestinian territories. The deterioration of Palestinian socioeconomic and living conditions during the Oslo process further enhanced the appeal of extremists among Palestinians. As the latest parliamentary elections revealed, the Palestinian Authority's (PA) continuous failure to meet and fulfill the basic needs and objectives of its people ultimately placed Islamists at the forefront of Palestinian politics. Israel's disproportionate military offensive against the Palestinians, following the second Intifada, deepened Palestinians' rage and frustration with the status quo. The willingness of Islamists and young nationalists to utilize extreme militant tactics during the second Intifada, as opposed to the first one, has largely been attributed to the failure of the Oslo peace process. The Palestinians' realization that the Oslo process failed to pressure Israel into abandoning its control of the 1967 territories enticed many more to reject diplomacy in favor of militancy. Indifferent to their despair, Israel and the U.S. remained mostly concerned with satisfying Israel's security claims than with addressing the basic needs of the Palestinians. The U.S.'s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, coupled with the rising resentment to its power in the region,