A Palestinian Administrative Council: A Potential Pathway |
A Palestinian Administrative Council: A Potential Pathway, If Structured With Care
In the aftermath of Gaza’s devastation and the fragmentation of Palestinian political life, policymakers and analysts are searching for transitional mechanisms that might stabilize the territory and create space for reconstruction. The collapse of Hamas’ administrative apparatus, the erosion of the Palestinian Authority’s legitimacy, and the absence of any coherent governing structure have created a dangerous vacuum. One possibility would be the creation of a Palestinian Administrative Council (PAC)—a transitional body with limited but real authority, operating under international supervision and designed to unify Palestinian representation during a period of extraordinary volatility.
The PAC is not a silver bullet. It is not a shortcut to statehood, nor a guarantee of stability. But under certain conditions—and with careful structuring—it could offer a pragmatic way to manage Gaza’s immediate governance vacuum while laying groundwork for longer‑term political reform. Under UN Security Council Resolution 2803, a committee of technocrats was envisioned to oversee Gaza’s administrative functions during the transition. A PAC could fulfill those same responsibilities while adding a more overtly Palestinian dimension, particularly were it to have an advisory role to the Board of Peace (BoP). This hybrid structure would preserve the technocratic competence envisioned in the resolution while providing a degree of political legitimacy that purely external or purely technical bodies often lack.
The idea gains further traction if the PAC is led by Marwan........