Palestinian Authority

This article is about the Fatah-controlled government body. For the state controlled by the Palestine Liberation Organization, see State of Palestine. For other uses, see Palestine.

Palestinian National Authority
السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية
as-Sulṭa al-Waṭanīya al-Filasṭīnīya
Anthem: "فدائي"
"Fida'i"[1]
"Fedayeen Warrior"
The Palestinian Authority (current de facto control in red) was created to exert partial civil control in the West Bank enclaves and in the Gaza Strip.[2] The Gaza Strip (in light red) is de jure under the Palestinian Authority[3] and de facto under the administration of the Hamas government since 2007.
The Palestinian Authority (current de facto control in red) was created to exert partial civil control in the West Bank enclaves and in the Gaza Strip.[2] The Gaza Strip (in light red) is de jure under the Palestinian Authority[3] and de facto under the administration of the Hamas government since 2007.
Administrative centerRamallah
31°54′N 35°12′E / 31.900°N 35.200°E / 31.900; 35.200
Official languagesArabic
TypeProvisional self-government body
GovernmentSemi‑presidential[4]
• President
Mahmoud Abbas
Mohammad Mustafa
LegislatureLegislative Council
Partial delegation of civil powers 
from Israeli administration
13 September 1993
4 May 1994
28 September 1995
15 June 2007
29 November 2012
Currency
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (EEST)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Calling code+970
ISO 3166 codePS
Internet TLD.ps

The Palestinian Authority, officially known as the Palestinian National Authority[a] or the State of Palestine,[7] is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a consequence of the 1993–1995 Oslo Accords.[2][8][9] The Palestinian Authority controlled the Gaza Strip prior to the Palestinian elections of 2006 and the subsequent Gaza conflict between the Fatah and Hamas parties, when it lost control to Hamas; the PA continues to claim the Gaza Strip, although Hamas exercises de facto control. Since January 2013, following United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19, the Palestinian Authority has used the name "State of Palestine" on official documents, without prejudice to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) role as "representative of the Palestinian people".[10]

The Palestinian Authority was formed on 4 May 1994, pursuant to the Gaza–Jericho Agreement between the PLO and the government of Israel, and was intended to be a five-year interim body. Further negotiations were then meant to take place between the two parties regarding its final status. According to the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority was designated to have exclusive control over both security-related and civilian issues[clarification needed] in Palestinian urban areas (referred to as "Area A") and only civilian control over Palestinian rural areas ("Area B"). The remainder of the territories, including Israeli settlements, the Jordan Valley region and bypass roads between Palestinian communities, were to remain under Israeli control ("Area C"). East Jerusalem was excluded from the Accords. Negotiations with several Israeli governments had resulted in the Authority gaining further control of some areas, but control was then lost in some areas when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) retook several strategic positions during the Second ("Al-Aqsa") Intifada. In 2005, after the Second Intifada, Israel withdrew unilaterally from its settlements in the Gaza Strip, thereby expanding Palestinian Authority control to the entire strip[11] while Israel continued to control the crossing points, airspace, and the waters of the Gaza Strip's coast.[12]

In the Palestinian legislative elections on 25 January 2006, Hamas emerged victorious and nominated Ismail Haniyeh as the Authority's Prime Minister. However, the national unity Palestinian government effectively collapsed, when a violent conflict between Hamas and Fatah erupted, mainly in the Gaza Strip. After the Gaza Strip was taken over by Hamas on 14 June 2007, the Authority's Chairman Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the Hamas-led unity government and appointed Salam Fayyad as prime minister, dismissing Haniyeh. The move wasn't recognized by Hamas, thus resulting in two separate administrations – the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and a rival Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. The reconciliation process to unite the Palestinian governments achieved some progress over the years, but had failed to produce a re-unification.

The Palestinian Authority received financial assistance from the European Union and the United States (approximately US$1 billion combined in 2005). All direct aid was suspended on 7 April 2006, as a result of the Hamas victory in parliamentary elections.[13][14] Shortly thereafter, aid payments resumed, but were channeled directly to the offices of Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.[15] Since 9 January 2009, when Mahmoud Abbas' term as president was supposed to have ended and elections were to have been called, Hamas supporters and many in the Gaza Strip have withdrawn recognition for his presidency and instead consider Aziz Dweik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, to be the acting president until new elections can be held.[16][17]

The State of Palestine is recognized by 146 nations as of June 2024. In November 2012, the United Nations voted to recognize the State of Palestine as a non-member UN observer state.[18][19][20] Widely considered an authoritarian regime, the Palestinian Authority has not held elections in over 15 years. It has been criticized for human rights abuses, including cracking down on journalists, human rights activists, and dissent against its rule.[21]

  1. ^ "Palestine" (includes audio). nationalanthems.info. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  2. ^ a b Thrall 2017, p. 144: the West Bank was divided into 165 islands of ostensible PA control; Peteet 2016, p. 268: In total, over 167 enclaves can be identified
  3. ^ "Mideast accord: the overview; Rabin and Arafat sign accord ending Israel's 27-year hold on Jericho and the Gaza Strip" Archived 9 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Chris Hedges, The New York Times, 5 May 1994.
  4. ^ "The Palestinian Authority". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Article IV: Monetary and Financial Issues", Gaza-Jericho Agreement Annex IV – Economic Protocol, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 29 April 1994, archived from the original on 7 August 2004, retrieved 20 February 2023
    The Protocol allows the Palestinian Authority to adopt multiple currencies. In the West Bank, the Israeli new sheqel and Jordanian dinar are widely accepted; while in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli new sheqel and Egyptian pound are widely accepted.
  6. ^ "The World Factbook: Middle East: Gaza Strip". Central Intelligence Agency. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  7. ^ "Palestine: What is in a name (change)?". Inside Story. Al Jazeera. 8 January 2013. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  8. ^ Rudoren, Jodi. "The Palestinian Authority". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "The Palestinian government". CNN. 5 April 2001. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  10. ^ "Status of Palestine in the UN – Non-member observer State status – SecGen report". Question of Palestine. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  11. ^ Kumaraswamy, P. R. (2009). The A to Z of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. The A to Z Guide Series. Vol. 66. Scarecrow Press. p. xl. ISBN 978-0-8108-7015-4.
  12. ^ "Israel completes Gaza withdrawal". BBC News. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  13. ^ US suspends aid to Palestinians, BBC News, 7 April 2006, retrieved 7 April 2006
  14. ^ Abbas warns of financial crisis, BBC News, 20 February 2006, retrieved 19 February 2006
  15. ^ Akiva Eldar, "U.S. to allow PA funds to be channeled through Abbas office", Haaretz
  16. ^ Patrick Martin (18 July 2009), "Fancy that, a moderate in Hamas", The Globe and Mail, Toronto, archived from the original on 23 August 2009, retrieved 3 August 2009
  17. ^ Hamas Says Dweik 'Real President' until Elections are Held, Al-Manar, 25 June 2006, retrieved 3 August 2009[permanent dead link]
  18. ^ Gharib, Ali (20 December 2012). "U.N. Adds New Name: "State of Palestine"". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  19. ^ "Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations". United Nations. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013. **Please note that since Thursday's Historic Vote in the United Nations General Assembly which accorded to Palestine Observer State Status, the official title of the Palestine mission has been changed to The Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations.**
  20. ^ "A/67/L.28 of 26 November 2012 and A/RES/67/19 of 29 November 2012". United Nations. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  21. ^ Multiple sources:


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