The Peace Process, National Reconstruction, and the Transition to Democracy in Palestine

With the signing of the September 1993 Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles (DOP), the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have witnessed the acceleration of the development and interaction of three processes-the peace process, the national reconstruction and nation- building process, and the transition to democracy. This paper seeks to describe the three processes and to examine their interaction, with special focus on democratization and the impact of the first two processes on its pace, dynamic, and prospects.

Khalil Shikaki teaches political science at al-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine, and is director of the Center for Palestine Research and Studies (CPRS) in Nablus. This paper contains preliminary findings of a CPRS project on the transition to democracy in Palestine.