Palestinian local governments representa key pillar of the future Palestinian state. Predating thePalestinian Authority, many have long and proud histories,including some of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.With increasing political and geographical fragmentationover the last two decades, Local Government Units (LGUs)have become of paramount importance regarding the provisionof services to the local population, particularly in areaswhere the relatively young central government ispolitically, geographically, and fiscally constrained. Someexisting LGUs were created as early as the second half ofthe 19th century, and over the decades, they have performedunder the complexities of disparate political and legalregimes. As the lowest level of governance, Palestinianlocal authorities fulfill a critical role, not only as a keypublic service provider but also as the government tierclosest to citizens, with elected councils critical forrepresentation and accountability to citizens. The mostrecent local elections were on May 13, 3017, and in October2012, only in the West Bank; following the most recent localelections in both the West Bank and Gaza in 2006.Strengthening LGUs and enabling them to perform as fullyfunctional local governments accountable to citizens are keypriorities for the Palestinian Authority.
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