PA security forces. Image credit: Stop the Wall, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A majority of Palestinians believe that corruption in Palestinian Authority institutions has increased in 2021, according to a public opinion poll published this week.
The poll, conducted by the Coalition for Integrity and Accountability at the start of October, also found that many Palestinians do not have confidence in various bodies entrusted with combatting corruption.
The poll covered 1,320 Palestinians across the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
The polling also showed that widespread corruption represented the most important challenge facing Palestinians, followed by the occupation, then economic problems and the ongoing dispute between the PA and Hamas.
The results found that 63 percent of Palestinians believed that corruption had increased in 2021 and 59 percent believed that corruption would continue to increase, up from 55 percent last year.
Corruption differed between territories, with a majority of respondents in the West Bank believing that corruption was concentrated within the highest level of public sector employees, while in Gaza a majority identified NGOs and the private sector as the major source of opportunities for corruption.