Serious questions are being asked about the huge Palestinian security budget. Local transparency organizations, the US State Department and Congress are not convinced that the Palestinian government needs to spend so much of its budget on security.

On Nov. 9, the Ramallah-based Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) issued a detailed report of the Palestinian security sector, saying it amounts to more than one-third of the Palestinian government’s overall budget.

On the same day, Hama Zeidan, a researcher at AMAN, revealed details of the security budget during a conference held in Ramallah. “The security sector received $1.078 billion out of the overall $3.86 billion Palestinian budget,” Zeidan said, adding that this budget is larger than the Palestinian health and education budgets combined.

During the same conference, AMAN Chairman Abdel Qader al-Husseini called on the Palestinian government to adopt a plan of austerity when it comes to spending policies, calling for a partnership with civil society when making decisions regarding how taxpayers' money is spent.