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International aid has played a major role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace and reconstruction process. This volume examines the complex relationships between aid, diplomacy and the actual 'facts on the ground' in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during a difficult and frustrating period. It provides groundbreaking analysis, derived from first-hand experience, of the role of external funding in supporting peace, and is instructive for those involved in similar processes in other regions.

The key findings are that lasting peace requires a political agreement that changes the facts on the ground, aid may have been part of the problem rather than the solution, and massive international aid has not prevented the 'de-development' of Palestinian society.

The contributors have been chosen for their depth of expertise and knowledge of conditions on the ground. They represent donors, academia, NGOs and government and comprise an outstanding group of experts in this area.

Publication Outline:

Introduction

Michael Keating, UN

Section I. International Assistance to the Palestinian People: the Context

Hard lessons from Oslo: foreign aid, the mistakes of the 1990s
Nigel Roberts, World Bank

Are 'realities on the ground' compatible with the international state-building and development agenda?
Anne Le More, Nuffield College, Oxford University

Chequebook diplomacy: the US, the Oslo process and the role of foreign aid
Scott Lasensky, USIP

'Security first' and its implications for a viable Palestinian state
Dr Mushtaq Khan, SOAS

Section II. The impact of international assistance: The human and socio-economic dimension

Human security challenges in the occupied Palestinian territory
Claude Bruderlein, Harvard University

The impact of the Oslo accords on UNRWA's funding
Harish Parvathaneni, UNRWA

Palestinian perceptions of international assistance
Nader Said, Director, Birzeit University

Future economic arrangements between Israel and Palestinians
Professor Jimmy Weinblatt, Ben Gurion University

Section III. The impact of international assistance: The political dimension

The state-building project: what went wrong?
Dr Karma Nabulsi, Nuffield College, Oxford University

Donor aid to Palestine: attitudes, incentives, patronage and peace
Dr Rex Brynen, McGill University

'Do no harm': the impact of international assistance to the occupied Palestinian territories
Mary B. Anderson, The Collaborative for Development Action, Inc.

Israel's aid responsibilities towards the Palestinian population
Yossi Alpher, Bitter Lemons

Section IV. Dilemmas posed by the working environment

The dilemmas facing humanitarian actors
David Shearer, OCHA, Jerusalem and Anuschka Meyer

Donor security challenges in the Palestinian territories
Larry Garber, New Israel Fund

'Victims of war are not like victims of earthquake': the conflict between humanitarianism and political work
Jeff Halper, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions

Section V. Policy implications for future assistance in the context of Israeli withdrawal plans

The risks and opportunities of the Israeli disengagement plan
Geoffrey Aronson, Foundation for Middle East Peace

Developing the Gaza Strip in the event of Israel's disengagement: possibilities and constraints
Sara Roy, Harvard University