Editing Palestinian Authority (section)

===Corruption===
A poll conducted by the [[Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research]] revealed that 71% of Palestinians believe there is corruption in the Palestinian Authority institutions in the [[West Bank]], and 57% say there is corruption in the institutions of the dismissed Palestinian government in the [[Gaza Strip]]. 34% say that there is no freedom of the press in the West Bank, 21% say that there is press freedom in the West Bank, and 41% say there is to a certain extent. 29% of Palestinians say people in the West Bank can criticize the government in the West Bank without fear.<ref name=PSR>{{cite web|title=Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No. 44|url=http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2012/p44efull.html#domestic|access-date=13 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714000218/http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2012/p44efull.html#domestic|archive-date=14 July 2012}}</ref><ref name=Ynet>{{cite news|last=Savir|first=Aryeh|title=Arab poll: Palestinian Authority is corrupt|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4244044,00.html|access-date=13 July 2012|newspaper=Yedioth Ahronot|date=18 June 2012}}</ref><ref name=Congress>{{cite web|title=Testimony of Jim Zanotti, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs, Congressional Research Service |url=http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/112/HHRG-112-FA13-WState-ZanottiJ-20120710.pdf |work=Chronic Kleptocracy – Corruption within the Palestinian Political Establishment |access-date=13 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915135516/http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/112/HHRG-112-FA13-WState-ZanottiJ-20120710.pdf |archive-date=15 September 2012 }}</ref>

At a hearing of the [[House Committee on Foreign Affairs]] in the [[United States Congress]] on 10 July 2012, titled "Chronic [[Kleptocracy]]: Corruption within the Palestinian Political Establishment," it was stated that there is serious corruption within the political establishment and in financial transactions.<ref name=Congress1>{{cite web |title=Chronic Kleptocracy: Corruption within the Palestinian Political Establishment |url=http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearings/view/?1454 |access-date=13 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715062400/http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearings/view/?1454 |archive-date=15 July 2012 }}</ref> The experts, analysts, and specialists testified on corruption within financial transactions concerning [[Mahmoud Abbas]], his sons Yasser and Tareq, and the Palestine Investment Fund, among others, as well as on the limiting of freedom of the press, crushing political opposition, and cracking down on protestors. According to Representative [[Steve Chabot]], who testified at the hearing, "Reports suggest that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, like his predecessor Yassir Arafat, has used his position of power to line his own pockets as well as those of his cohort of [[cronyism|cronies]], including his sons, Yasser and Tareq. The Palestinian Investment Fund, for example, was intended to serve the interests of the Palestinian population and was supposed to be transparent, accountable, and independent of the Palestinian political leadership. Instead, it is surrounded by allegations of [[Cronyism|favoritism]] and [[fraud]]." Concerning Abbas' children, Chabot stated that "Even more disturbingly, Yasser and Tareq Abbas—who have amassed a great deal of wealth and economic power—have enriched themselves with U.S. taxpayer money. They have allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars in [[USAID]] contracts."<ref name=Congress2>{{cite web |last=Schanzer |first=Jonathan |title=Chronic Kleptocracy: Corruption Within The Palestinian Political Establishment |url=http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/112/HHRG-112-FA13-WState-SchanzerJ-20120710.pdf |publisher=House Committee on Foreign Affairs |access-date=13 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813023220/http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/112/HHRG-112-FA13-WState-SchanzerJ-20120710.pdf |archive-date=13 August 2012 }}</ref><ref name=Congress3>{{cite web |last=Chabot |first=Steve |title=Chronic Kleptocracy: Corruption within the Palestinian Political Establishment |url=http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/112/HHRG-112-FA13-MState-C000266-20120710.pdf |access-date=13 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915135459/http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/112/HHRG-112-FA13-MState-C000266-20120710.pdf |archive-date=15 September 2012 }}</ref>

In April 2013, the Palestinian organization Coalition for Transparency in Palestine said it was investigating 29 claims of stolen public funds. In addition, they said that the PA "has problems with money laundering, nepotism and misusing official positions." Twelve earlier claims were investigated and sent to the courts for resolution. In response, Palestinian Authority Justice Minister Ali Muhanna said that they have "made large strides in reducing corruption."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-watchdog-corruption-continues-182306963.html|title=Palestinian watchdog: corruption continues|publisher=Yahoo! News|access-date=15 January 2017|archive-date=27 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427103224/https://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-watchdog-corruption-continues-182306963.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>