RAMALLAH, West Bank — Since its inception under the Oslo Accord, fighting corruption has been one of the greatest challenges the Palestinian Authority (PA) has had to face. This is especially true in light of the dire economic conditions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the absence of legislative power and its monitoring role and the absence of the presidential and parliamentary elections. As per electoral law, the elections were supposed to happen in 2010.

The PA claims to be making strenuous efforts to fight against corruption by taking several initiatives such as forming the Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), joining the United Nations Convention against corruption in May 2014 and approving the national strategy to combat terrorism for the years 2015 to 2017. Yet, reports and Palestinian public opinion suggest that corruption remains rampant at all the PA institutions’ levels.

During the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) gala, organized to launch its annual report on April 27, which Al-Monitor attended, Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah delivered a speech.

AMAN was established in 2000 upon an initiative by a number of Palestinian civil society organizations working in the fields of democracy, human rights and good governance as a movement aiming to combat corruption and enhance the values of integrity and principles of transparency and systems of accountability in Palestinian society.