Democracy International conducted a political party assistance assessment during the first two weeks of December 2005 at a time of both domestic and international transition for Palestinian leaders and political parties. During the team’s visit we had meetings and conversations with representatives of the US government, USAID program implementers, Palestinian Authority officials, PLC members and staff, Fatah party leaders and activists, the leadership of the CEC, local NGO leaders and others from civil society, opinion researchers and university faculty and students. In accordance with US government policy we did not knowingly meet with any members of Hamas nor did we travel to Gaza. In this report, DI recommends that future party program shift emphasis from active election-based politics to institutional reform and party structural improvement.