A collapse in the making in Palestine

The World Bank, with two pairs of gloves on, documents the forthcoming series of events.

The infamous Oslo Accords were a pair of agreements signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995. They marked the start of the Oslo process, a peace process aimed at achieving a peace treaty between the two parties within five years. They failed, catastrophically.

In parallel to this political track, a group of states came together in 1993 to underwrite Palestinian’s economic needs, assumingly fully aware of the lopsided Oslo Accords which did not give Palestinians a fighting chance to create a sustainable — or even functioning — economy. This group of states is known as the “Donor Community” (formally, the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee) and they continue to underwrite the Palestinian government through today. The day they stop relieving Israel from its obligations under international law and stop funding this deteriorating reality is the day the Palestinian government collapses.

The “Donor Community” meets twice a year, with the latest meeting being held last week in New York on the sidelines of the UN’s 77th General Assembly’s Annual Debate. The World Bank Group (World Bank, IFC, MIGA) provides these meetings…