The literature suggests that the conflict and political division between the West Bank and Gaza Strip has hindered civil society efforts at strengthening accountability. Firstly, the conflict has impeded the legislative process, thus limiting any intervention or influence that civil society can have in this area. Secondly, although relations between the Palestine National Authority and CSOs generally do fluctuate, the political division has had a detrimental impact on those non governmental organisations (NGOs) who are considered to have political affiliations.
It is therefore very difficult to assess the capacity of organisations (or of the sector as a whole) in a report of this nature, which relies upon desk-based research and where opportunities for conducting substantial interviews with organisational representatives are limited. Information on key organisations has been included along with details of their activities; information relating to experience, staffing levels, funders and budgets (where available) has also been included to provide an indication of the capacity of individual organisations.
An assessment of the limited information available suggests that the key civil society actors in the field of accountability are the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) and the Women’s Affairs Technical Committee (WACT) and their constituent members.