The Effect of Oslo Accord on Palestinian Unity and its Reflections on the Political Development

The current study aimed at recognizing the effect of Oslo agreement on Palestinian national unity and political development in the area. The study shed the light on Oslo and other agreements that followed with respect to the extent of consistency with the Palestinian national charter and the Palestinian National Council decisions in order to allow judgment on the policies that agree with or contradict the charter or the council decisions. The study also discussed the commitments of the Palestinian authority according to the agreement and the extent of its reinforcement and fulfillment of Palestinian unity in accordance to the indicated definition presented in the introduction of the thesis. The definition merges the theoretical dimension with the practical reality formulated by the various Palestinian resistance factions. The study showed the extent of remoteness between commitments and Palestinian general thoughts of an independent state For example, the charter prohibited both recognition and negotiations with Israel and also rejected all United Nations resolutions in this respect; meanwhile, it imposed restrictions on resistance movements and struggle against the Israelis in accordance with Oslo agreement. The study also discussed the response of the various Palestinian factions towards the adopted policies of the Palestinian authority. The study showed that the majority of the resistance factions, which rejected the Oslo agreement and considered it as a treason to the Palestinian people, worked and collaborated with the authority and joined the various administrative sectors. These factions failed to offer any alternatives to the agreement and also failed in unifying their efforts. An important finding of the study that all what Oslo offered was a Palestinian authority that practiced corruption in all aspects of life and managed to dismantle the Palestinian community through its policies and practices. Disappointment and hatred towards the authority became evident features, and the absence of security became a disturbing state for the citizens. Such situation generated a hostile environment and made it difficult for the various resistance factions to form any political unity in the Palestine. In conclusion, the study showed that the various factions constituted an obstacle for any possible Palestinian political unity through its practices and its role was a disease that affected and dismantled the Palestinian social fabric. With respect to the authority, it managed to exclude others and stayed as the only decision maker, although it's politically announced commitment to the political unity, its practices on reality is far away from what one can see, and far away from the principles and commitments towards unity. The best solution is to create new political leaders whose interest agrees with the general interest of the people and aim at the establishment of an independent state. This might be possible through getting red of the previous agreement with the Israelis and the search for more realistic approaches that suit the capabilities of the country. It is also important to note that the possibility of political reunification was evident during the early stages of confrontations with the Israelis during Al-Aqsa Intefada, however, such hopes disappeared with the restrictions imposed on the confrontation and people lost faith in both the leadership and the resistance factions who have been seeking to achieve all what is in their interests.