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Source: http://www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=2&id=983
How Development of Democracy in Palestine Is Frustrated
(Palestine Media Center-Ramallah) According to the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, democracy exists more in theory than in practice in the Palestinian territories. The Palestinian legislative council elections originally scheduled for this month have been postponed indefinitely. The emergence of a truly pluralist party structure has been hindered by the dominance of the so-called "old guard" of Fatah and the religious extremism of Hamas. The judiciary branch has been virtually nonexistent, resulting in a lack of ability to enforce laws. Security services under Arafat came to be associated with authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights violations against fellow Palestinians, including illegal detentions, improper trials, torture, and executions.