Mayors in the Middle: Indirect Rule and Local Government in Occupied Palestine

In the dry, careful, technical language of social science, this book provides an unusually revealing portrait of the tangled and contradictory terms under which Palestinians in the West Bank have been required to govern themselves. Palestinian officials are often hamstrung in their efforts to deliver services to their constituents and struggle to exert influence and power. Their “sticks” are limited: in much of the West Bank, Palestinian police are not allowed to operate at all, and even in their putative precincts, they are often obliged to secure prior Israeli authorization. Their “carrots” are similarly constrained: public utilities, such as water and electricity, are often controlled by Israel, which saddles their delivery with complicated, confusing, and inconsistent regulation. Allies of the ruling party—the Fatah faction that dominates the Palestinian Authority—usually have better access to recognized policing authority but also enjoy softer budget constraints and so tolerate higher levels of tax evasion and corruption. Opposition party affiliates, such as mayors affiliated with Hamas, are less able to mobilize economic resources or draw from Israeli-backed coercive powers. They are forced to rely more on their social connections with their constituents and often prove more effective at both maintaining order and collecting taxes.