Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian National Authority السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية as-Sulṭa al-Waṭanīya al-Filasṭīnīya | |
---|---|
Anthem: "فدائي" " Semi‑presidential[4] | |
Mahmoud Abbas | |
Mohammad Mustafa | |
Legislature | Legislative Council |
Partial delegation of civil powers from Israeli administration | |
13 September 1993 | |
1994 | |
1995 | |
2007 | |
29 November 2012 | |
Currency |
|
ISO 3166 code | PS |
Internet TLD | .ps |
The Palestinian National Authority,[b] commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,[7] is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over West Bank areas "A" and "B" 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, the Palestinian Authority has used the name "State of Palestine" on official documents, although the United Nations continues to recognize the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as the "representative of the Palestinian people".[10]
The Palestinian Authority was formed in 1994, pursuant to the
In the
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was supposed to have ended and elections were to have been called, Hamas supporters and many in the Gaza Strip have withdrawn recognition for his presidency and instead consider Aziz Dweik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, to be the acting president until new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 138 nations as of July 2019[update]. 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]
History
Establishment
The Palestinian Authority was created by the Gaza–Jericho Agreement, pursuant to the 1993 Oslo Accords. The Gaza–Jericho Agreement was signed on 4 May 1994 and included Israeli withdrawal from the Jericho area and partially from the Gaza Strip, and detailed the creation of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Civil Police Force.[8][9]
The PA was envisioned as an interim organization to administer a limited form of Palestinian self-governance in the
The administrative responsibilities accorded to the PA were limited to civil matters and internal security and did not include external security or foreign affairs.
General elections were held for its first legislative body, the Palestinian Legislative Council, on 20 January 1996.[25] The expiration of the body's term was 4 May 1999, but elections were not held because of the "prevailing coercive situation".[25]
Second Intifada
On 7 July 2004, the Quartet of Middle East mediators informed Ahmed Qurei, Prime Minister of the PA from 2003 to 2006, that they were "sick and tired" of the Palestinians failure to carry out promised reforms: "If security reforms are not done, there will be no (more) international support and no funding from the international community"[30]
On 18 July 2004, United States President George W. Bush stated that the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of 2005 was unlikely due to instability and violence in the Palestinian Authority.[31]
Following Arafat's death on 11 November 2004,
On 19 April 2005, Vladimir Putin the president of Russia agreed to aid the Palestinian Authority stating, "We support the efforts of President Abbas to reform the security services and fight against terrorism [...] If we are waiting for President Abbas to fight terrorism, he cannot do it with the resources he has now. [...] We will give the Palestinian Authority technical help by sending equipment, training people. We will give the Palestinian Authority helicopters and also communication equipment."[33]
The Palestinian Authority became responsible for civil administration in some rural areas, as well as security in the major cities of the
In August 2005, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon began his disengagement from the Gaza Strip, ceding full effective internal control of the Strip to the Palestinian Authority but retained control of its borders including air and sea (except for the Egyptian border). This increased the percentage of land in the Gaza Strip nominally governed by the PA from 60 percent to 100 percent.
Hamas–Fatah conflict
Palestinian legislative elections took place on 25 January 2006. Hamas was victorious and Ismail Haniyeh was nominated as Prime Minister on 16 February 2006 and sworn in on 29 March 2006. However, when a Hamas-led Palestinian government was formed, the Quartet (United States, Russia, United Nations, and European Union) conditioned future foreign assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) on the future government's commitment to non-violence, recognition of the State of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements. Hamas rejected these demands,[34] which resulted in the Quartet suspension of its foreign assistance program and Israel imposed economic sanctions.
In December 2006, Ismail Haniyeh, Prime Minister of the PA, declared that the PA will never recognize Israel: "We will never recognize the usurper Zionist government and will continue our jihad-like movement until the liberation of Jerusalem."[35]
In an attempt to resolve the financial and diplomatic impasse, the Hamas-led government together with Fatah Chairman
After the
In 2013, political analyst Hillel Frisch from Bar-Ilan University's BESA Center, noted that "The PA is playing a double game...with regards to battling Hamas, there's coordination if not cooperation with Israel. But on the political front, the PA is trying to generate a popular intifada."[37]
Two PNA administrations
Since the Hamas-Fatah split in 2007, the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority based in areas of the West Bank had stabilized, though no significant economic growth had been achieved. Until 2012, there had also been no progress in promotion of PNA status in the UN, as well in negotiations with Israel. Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority stayed out of the
The
Since late August 2012, Palestinian National Authority has been swept with
In July 2012, it was reported that
On 23 April 2014
On 7–8 February 2016, Fatah and Hamas held talks in Doha, Qatar in an attempt to implement the 2014 agreements. Hamas official told Al-Monitor on 8 March, that the talks did not succeed and that discussions continued between the two movements. He also said that the foreign pressures on the Palestinian Authority to not implement the reconciliation terms is the main obstacle in the talks. In a 25 Feb statement to local newspaper Felesteen, Hamas foreign relations chief Osama Hamdan accused the United States and Israel of blocking Palestinian reconciliation. The United States is putting pressure on the PA to not reconcile with Hamas until the latter recognizes the Quartet on the Middle East's conditions, including the recognition of Israel, which Hamas rejects. After the 2014 agreement, US President Barack Obama said in April 2014 that President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to form a national unity government with Hamas was "unhelpful" and undermined the negotiations with Israel. Amin Maqboul, secretary-general of Fatah's Revolutionary Council, told Al-Monitor, "Hamas did not stick to the 2014 agreement, as it has yet to hand over the reins of power over Gaza to the national consensus government and continues to control the crossings. Should Hamas continue down this path, we have to go to the polls immediately and let the people choose who they want to rule".[61]
2013 name change
The UN has permitted the PLO to title its representative office to the UN as "The Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations",[19] and Palestine has started to re-title its name accordingly on postal stamps, official documents and passports,[7][62] whilst it has instructed its diplomats to officially represent 'The State of Palestine', as opposed to the 'Palestine National Authority'.[7] Additionally, on 17 December 2012, UN Chief of Protocol Yeocheol Yoon decided that "the designation of 'State of Palestine' shall be used by the Secretariat in all official United Nations documents".[18] However, in a speech in 2016 president Abbas said that "The Palestinian Authority exists and it is here," and "The Palestinian Authority is one of our achievements and we won't give it up."[63]
2024 mass resignation
On the morning of 26 February 2024, the entire Palestinian government, including Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, resigned from office, amid popular opposition to the Palestinian Authority and pressure from the United States during the Israel–Hamas war.[64][65][66][67]
Geography
The Palestinian Territories refers to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem). The Palestinian Authority currently administers some 39% of the West Bank. 61% of the West Bank remains under direct Israeli military and civilian control. East Jerusalem was unilaterally annexed by Israel in 1980, prior to the formation of the PA. Since 2007 Gaza has been governed by the
Politics and internal structure
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2016) |
The politics of the Palestinian Authority take place within the framework of a
The PLC is an elected body of 132 representatives, which must confirm the Prime Minister upon nomination by the President, and which must approve all government cabinet positions proposed by the Prime Minister. The Judicial Branch has yet to be formalized. The President of the PA is directly elected by the people, and the holder of this position is also considered to be the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In an amendment to the Basic Law approved in 2003, the president appoints the Prime Minister who is also chief of the security services in the Palestinian territories. The Prime Minister chooses a cabinet of ministers and runs the government, reporting directly to the President.[citation needed]
Parliamentary elections were conducted in January 2006 after the passage of an overhauled election law that increased the number of seats from 88 to 132.[69] The Chairman of the PLO, Yasser Arafat, was elected as President of PA in a landslide victory at the general election in 1996.
Arafat's administration was criticized for its lack of democracy, widespread corruption among officials, and the division of power among families and numerous governmental agencies with overlapping functions.
The presidential mandate of Mahmoud Abbas expired in 2009 and he is no longer recognised by Hamas, among others, as the legitimate Palestinian leader. According to Palestinian
On 27 April 2011, Fatah's
Officials
Office | Name | Party | Since |
---|---|---|---|
President
|
Mahmoud Abbas | Fatah | 26 January 2005 – incumbent |
Yasser Arafat | Fatah | 5 July 1994 – 11 November 2004 | |
Prime Minister
|
Mohammad Shtayyeh | Fatah | 14 April 2019 – incumbent[78] |
Rami Hamdallah | Fatah | 2 June 2014 – 14 April 2019 | |
Rami Hamdallah | Fatah | 6 June 2013 – 2 June 2014 (disputed) | |
Salam Fayyad | Independent | 14 June 2007 – 6 June 2013 | |
Ismaïl Haniyeh | Hamas | 19 February 2006 – 14 June 2007 | |
Ahmad Qurei
|
Fatah | 24 December 2005 – 19 February 2006 | |
Nabil Shaath | Fatah | 15 December 2005 – 24 December 2005 | |
Ahmad Qurei
|
Fatah | 7 October 2003 – 15 December 2005 | |
Mahmoud Abbas | Fatah | 19 March 2003 – 7 October 2003 |
Political parties and elections
From the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1993 until the death of Yasser Arafat in late 2004, only one election had taken place. All other elections were deferred for various reasons.
A single
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mahmoud Abbas | Fatah | 501,448 | 67.38 | |
Mustafa Barghouti | Independent | 156,227 | 20.99 | |
Taysir Khalid | Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine | 26,848 | 3.61 | |
Abelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar | Independent | 22,171 | 2.98 | |
Bassam as-Salhi | Palestinian People's Party | 21,429 | 2.88 | |
Sayyid Barakah | Independent | 10,406 | 1.40 | |
Abdel Karim Shubeir | Independent | 5,717 | 0.77 | |
Total | 744,246 | 100.00 | ||
Valid votes | 744,246 | 92.79 | ||
Invalid/blank votes | 57,831 | 7.21 | ||
Total votes | 802,077 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 1,092,407 | 73.42 | ||
Source: IFES |
On 10 May 2004, the Palestinian Cabinet announced that municipal elections would take place for the first time. Elections were announced for August 2004 in
Elections for a new
Party | Proportional | District | Total seats | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
Change and Reform (Hamas) | 440,409 | 44.45 | 29 | 1,932,168 | 40.82 | 45 | 74 | |
Fatah | 410,554 | 41.43 | 28 | 1,684,441 | 35.58 | 17 | 45 | |
Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa | 42,101 | 4.25 | 3 | 140,074 | 2.96 | 0 | 3 | |
The Alternative | 28,973 | 2.92 | 2 | 8,216 | 0.17 | 0 | 2 | |
Independent Palestine | 26,909 | 2.72 | 2 | 2 | ||||
Third Way | 23,862 | 2.41 | 2 | 2 | ||||
Palestinian Popular Struggle Front | 7,127 | 0.72 | 0 | 8,821 | 0.19 | 0 | 0 | |
Palestinian Arab Front | 4,398 | 0.44 | 0 | 3,446 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 | |
Martyr Abu al-Abbas | 3,011 | 0.30 | 0 | 0 | ||||
National Coalition for Justice and Democracy | 1,806 | 0.18 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Palestinian Justice | 1,723 | 0.17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Palestinian Democratic Union | 3,257 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Independents | 953,465 | 20.14 | 4 | 4 | ||||
Total | 990,873 | 100.00 | 66 | 4,733,888 | 100.00 | 66 | 132 | |
Valid votes | 990,873 | 95.05 | 1,000,246 | 95.95 | ||||
Invalid votes | 29,864 | 2.86 | 31,285 | 3.00 | ||||
Blank votes | 21,687 | 2.08 | 10,893 | 1.04 | ||||
Total votes | 1,042,424 | 100.00 | 1,042,424 | 100.00 | ||||
Registered voters/turnout | 1,350,655 | 77.18 | 1,350,655 | 77.18 | ||||
Source: CEC |
The following organizations, listed in alphabetic order, have taken part in recent popular elections inside the Palestinian Authority:
- Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Al-Jabhah al-Dimuqratiyah Li-Tahrir Filastin)
- Liberation Movement of Palestine(Harakat al-Tahrâr al-Filistini)
- Islamic Resistance Movement(Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyah)
- Palestine Democratic Union(al-Ittihad al-Dimuqrati al-Filastini, FiDA)
- Palestinian National Initiative (al-Mubadara al-Wataniya al-Filistiniyya)
- Palestinian People's Party (Hizb al-Sha'b al-Filastini)
- Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Al-Jabhah al-sha'abiyah Li-Tahrir Filastin)
October 2006 polls showed that Fatah and Hamas had equal strength.[80]
On 14 June 2007, after the Battle of Gaza (2007), Palestine president Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the Hamas-led government, leaving the government under his control for 30 days, after which the temporary government had to be approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council.[81]
Law
Human rights
In theory the Palestinian Authority has guaranteed freedom of assembly to the Palestinian citizens residing in its territory. Nevertheless, the right to demonstrate for opponents of the PA regime or of PA policy has become increasingly subject to police control and restriction and is a source of concern for human rights groups.[82] In August 2019, the Palestinian Authority banned LGBTQ organizations from operating in the West Bank, targeting the group Al Qaws.[83]
The
Women have full suffrage in the PA. In the 2006 elections, women made up 47 percent of registered voters. Prior to the elections, the election law was amended to introduce a quota for women on the national party lists, resulting in 22 percent of candidates on the national lists being women. The quota's effectiveness was illustrated in comparison with the district elections, where there was no quota, and only 15 of the 414 candidates were women.[86]
Selling land or housing to Israeli Jews is punishable by death, and some high-profile cases have received high media coverage.[87][88] Although president Mahmoud Abbas has never ratified a death sentence in such cases, as late as December 2018 a Ramallah court sentenced the Palestinian-American Isaam Akel, a resident of East Jerusalem, to life in prison with hard labor for having sold land in the Old City of Jerusalem to Israeli Jews. His family maintained his innocence.[89] The Palestinian governor of East Jerusalem, Adnan Gheith, was arrested twice by Israeli authorities in connection with the case.[90]
Hamas has begun enforcing some Islamic standards of dress for women in the PA; women must don headscarves in order to enter government ministry buildings.[91] In July 2010, Hamas banned the smoking of hookah by women in public. They claimed that it was to reduce the increasing number of divorces.[92]
In June 2011, the Independent Commission for Human Rights published a report whose findings included that the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip were subjected in 2010 to an "almost systematic campaign" of human rights abuses by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, as well as by Israeli authorities, with the security forces belonging to the PA and Hamas being responsible for torture, arrests and arbitrary detentions.[93]
Crime and law enforcement
Violence against civilians
The Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group reports that through "everyday disagreements and clashes between the various political factions, families and cities that a complete picture of Palestinian society is painted. These divisions have during the course of the al Aqsa Intifada also led to an increasingly violent 'Intrafada'. In the 10-year period from 1993 to 2003, 16% of Palestinian civilian deaths were caused by Palestinian groups or individuals."[94]
Erika Waak reports in The Humanist "Of the total number of Palestinian civilians killed during this period by both Israeli and Palestinian security forces, 16 percent were the victims of Palestinian security forces." Accusations of collaboration with Israel are used to target and kill individual Palestinians: "Those who are convicted have either been caught helping Israelis, spoken out against Arafat, or are involved in rival criminal gangs, and these individuals are hanged after summary trials. Arafat creates an environment where the violence continues while silencing would-be critics, and although he could make the violence impossible, he doesn't stop it."
Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties, Freedom in the World 2001–2002, reports "Civil liberties declined due to: shooting deaths of Palestinian civilians by Palestinian security personnel; the summary trial and executions of alleged collaborators by the Palestinian Authority (PA); extrajudicial killings of suspected collaborators by militias; and the apparent official encouragement of Palestinian youth to confront Israeli soldiers, thus placing them directly in harm's way."[95]
Palestinian security forces have, as of March 2005, not made any arrests for the October 2003 killing of three American members of a diplomatic convoy in the Gaza Strip. Moussa Arafat, head of the Palestinian Military Intelligence and a cousin of the former Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has stated that, regarding the United States pressure to arrest the killers; "They know that we are in a very critical position and that clashing with any Palestinian party under the presence of the occupation is an issue that will present many problems for us". Since the October 2003 attack, United States diplomats have been banned from entering the Gaza Strip.[96]
Violence against officials (2001–2004)
On 22 April 2001,
On 15 October 2003, three members of a United States diplomatic convoy were killed and additional members of the convoy wounded three kilometers south of the Erez Crossing into the Gaza Strip by a
In February 2004,
Karen Abu Zayd, deputy commissioner-general for the UN Relief and Works Agency in the Gaza Strip stated on 29 February 2004: "What has begun to be more visible is the beginning of the breakdown of law and order, all the groups have their own militias, and they are very organized. It's factions trying to exercise their powers."[101]
On the eve of 17 July, Fatah movement members kidnapped 5 French citizens (3 men and 2 women) and held them hostage in
- Palestinian security officials said that the kidnapping was carried out by the Abu al-Rish Brigades, accused of being linked to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction.[103]
On 18 July, Arafat replaced Ghazi al-Jabali, with his nephew Moussa Arafat, sparking violent riots in Rafah and Khan Yunis in which members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades burned PA offices and opened fire on Palestinian policemen. During the riots, at least one Palestinian was killed and a dozen more seriously wounded.
On 20 July 2004 David Satterfield, the second-in-charge at the United States Department of State Near East desk stated in a hearing before the Senate that the Palestinian Authority had failed to arrest the
- "There has been no satisfactory resolution of this case. We can only conclude that there has been a political decision taken by the chairman (Yasser Arafat) to block further progress in this investigation."
On 21 July,
Regarding the descent into chaos Cabinet minister Qadura Fares stated on 21 July 2004:
- "Every one of us is responsible. Arafat is the most responsible for the failure. President Arafat failed and the Palestinian government failed, the Palestinian political factions failed."[105]
On 22 July 2004, The United Nations elevated its threat warning level for the Gaza Strip to "Phase Four" (one less than the maximum "Phase Five") and planned to evacuate non-essential foreign staff from the Gaza Strip.[106]
On 23 July 2004, an Arab boy was shot and killed by
On 31 July, Palestinian kidnappers in
On 8 August 2004 the Justice Minister Nahed Arreyes resigned stating that he has been stripped of much of his authority over the legal system. The year before, Yasser Arafat created a rival agency to the Justice Ministry and was accused of continuing to control the judiciary and in particular the state prosecutors.[112]
On 10 August 2004, a report by an investigation committee Palestinian Legislative Council for the reasons for the anarchy and chaos in the PA was published by Haaretz daily newspaper.[113] The report put the main blame on Yasser Arafat and the PA's security forces, which "have failed to make a clear political decision to end it". The report states,
- "The main reason for the failure of the Palestinian security forces and their lack of action in restoring law and order [......] is the total lack of a clear political decision and no definition of their roles, either for the long term or the short."
The report also calls to stop shooting Qassam rockets and mortar shells on Israeli settlements because it hurts "Palestinian interests". Hakham Balawi said:
- "... It is prohibited to launch rockets and to fire weapons from houses, and that is a supreme Palestinian interest that should not be violated because the result is barbaric retaliation by the occupying army and the citizenry cannot accept such shooting. Those who do it are a certain group that does not represent the people and nation, doing it without thinking about the general interest and public opinion in the world and in Israel. There is no vision or purpose to the missiles; the Palestinian interest is more important"[114]
Despite the criticism against Yasser Arafat, the troubles continued. On 24 August, the Lieutenant Commander of the Palestinian General Intelligence in the Gaza Strip, Tareq Abu-Rajab, was shot by group of armed men. He was seriously injured.[115]
On 31 August, the
On 8 September, Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, threatens to resign, again. Three weeks have elapsed since he retracted is resignation, originally tendered six weeks ago.[117]
On 12 October, Moussa Arafat, cousin of Yasser Arafat and a top security official in the Gaza Strip, survived a car bomb assassination attempt. Recently[when?] the Popular Resistance Committees threatened Moussa Arafat with retaliation for an alleged attempt to assassinate its leader, Mohammed Nashabat.[118]
On 14 October, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei stated that the Palestinian Authority is unable to stop the spreading anarchy. While routinely blaming Israel for the PA's problems, he pointed out that the many PA security forces are hobbled by corruption and factional feuding. Due to the lack of governmental reforms demanded by international peace mediators, Palestinian legislators demanded Qurei present a report on the matter by 20 October, at which point they will decide upon holding a no-confidence vote.[119]
On 19 October, a group of Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades members, led by Zakaria Zubeidi, seized buildings belonging to the Palestinian Finance ministry and Palestinian parliament in Jenin.[120]
According to Mosab Hassan Yousef, the CIA has provided sophisticated electronic eavesdropping equipment to the Palestinian Authority that has been used against suspected Palestinian militants. However, the equipment has also been used against Shin Bet informants.[121]
Palestinian measures to keep law and order
In 2006, after the Hamas victory, the Palestinian interior minister formed an Executive Force for the police. However, the PA president objected and after clashes between Hamas and Fatah, redeployment of the force was made and efforts started in order to integrate it with the police force.
In 2011, Amira Hass reported that in sections of Area B of the West Bank, especially around the towns of Abu Dis and Sawahera, a security paradox was evolving: while the Oslo Accords stipulate that the Israeli Army have authority to police Area B, they weren't; and though the Palestinian security forces were prepared to deal with criminal activity in this area, they had to wait for Israeli permission to enter, and were thus ineffective. Hass also reported that as a result of this paradox, Abu Dis and surrounding areas were becoming a haven for weapons smugglers, drug dealers, and other criminals.[122]
As of 2013, Palestinian security forces continue to coordinate with Israeli troops in tracking Islamic militants in the West Bank.[123]
Administrative divisions
The governorates (
The regional governors (
The governorates in the West Bank are grouped into
Name | Area[131] | Population | Density | muhfaza or district capital |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jenin | 583 | 311,231 | 533.84 | Jenin |
Tubas | 402 | 64,719 | 160.99 | Tubas |
Tulkarm | 246 | 182,053 | 740.05 | Tulkarm |
Nablus | 605 | 380,961 | 629.68 | Nablus |
Qalqiliya | 166 | 110,800 | 667.46 | Qalqilya |
Salfit | 204 | 70,727 | 346.7 | Salfit |
Ramallah & Al-Bireh |
855 | 348,110 | 407.14 | Ramallah |
Jericho & Al Aghwar | 593 | 52,154 | 87.94 | Jericho |
Jerusalem | 345 | 419,108a | 1214.8a | De Jure and disputed )
|
Bethlehem | 659 | 216,114 | 927.94 | Bethlehem |
Hebron | 997 | 706,508 | 708.63 | Hebron |
North Gaza | 61 | 362,772 | 5947.08 | Jabalya
|
Gaza | 74 | 625,824 | 8457.08 | Gaza City |
Deir Al-Balah | 58 | 264,455 | 4559.56 | Deir al-Balah |
Khan Yunis | 108 | 341,393 | 3161.04 | Khan Yunis |
Rafah | 64 | 225,538 | 3524.03 | Rafah |
a. Data from Jerusalem includes occupied East Jerusalem with its Israeli population
East Jerusalem is administered as part of the Jerusalem District of Israel, but is claimed by Palestine as part of the Jerusalem Governorate. It was annexed by Israel in 1980,[126] but this annexation is not recognised by any other country.[132] Of the 456,000 people in East Jerusalem, roughly 60% are Palestinians and 40% are Israelis.[126][133]
Foreign relations
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) foreign relations are conducted by the
Representations of foreign states to the Palestinian Authority are performed by "missions" or "offices" in
On 5 January 2013, following the 2012 UNGA resolution, Palestinian President Abbas ordered all Palestinian embassies to change any official reference to the Palestinian Authority into State of Palestine.[137][138]
The Palestinian Authority is included in the European Union's European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), which aims at bringing the EU and its neighbours closer.
Palestinian Authority passport
In April 1995, the Palestinian Authority, pursuant to the Oslo Accords with the State of Israel, started to issue passports to Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip and West Bank. The appearance of the passport and details about its issuance are described in Appendix C of Annex II (Protocol Concerning Civil Affairs) of the Gaza-Jericho Agreement signed by Israel and the PLO on 4 May 1994. The Palestinian Authority does not issue the passports on behalf of the proclaimed State of Palestine.[139]: 231 The passports bear the inscription: "This passport/travel document is issued pursuant to the Palestinian Self Government Agreement according to Oslo Agreement signed in Washington on 13/9/1993".[140] By September 1995, the passport had been recognised by 29 states, some of them (e.g. the United States) recognise it only as a travel document (see further details below): Algeria, Bahrain, Bulgaria, People's Republic of China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Jordan, Malta, Morocco, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[141]
While the U.S. Government recognises Palestinian Authority passports as travel documents, it does not view them as conferring citizenship, since they are not issued by a government that they recognise. Consular officials representing the Governments of Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, when asked by the Resource Information Center of
The Palestinian Authority has said that anyone born in Palestine carrying a birth certificate attesting to that can apply for a PA passport. Whether or not Palestinians born outside Palestine could apply was not clear to the PA Representative questioned by UNHCR representatives in May 2002. The PA representative also said even if those applying met the PA's eligibility criteria, the Israeli government placed additional restrictions on the actual issuance of passports.[142]
In October 2007, a Japanese Justice Ministry official said, "Given that the Palestinian Authority has improved itself to almost a full-fledged state and issues its own passports, we have decided to accept the Palestinian nationality." The decision followed a recommendation by a ruling party panel on nationality that Palestinians should no longer be treated as stateless.[143]
Legal action against PNA
In February 2015 in
Police forces
The creation of a Palestinian police force was called for under the Oslo Accords.
Economy
The
Some Palestinians are dependent on access to the Israeli job market. During the 1990s, some Israeli companies began to replace Palestinians with foreign workers.[
Budget
According to the
In June 2011, Prime Minister
In June 2012, the Palestinian Authority was unable to pay its workers' salaries as a result of their financial issues, including a cutback in aid from foreign donors, and Arab countries not fulfilling their pledges to send money to the Palestinian Authority, in which the Palestinian Authority is heavily dependent. Finance Minister Nabil Kassis called the crisis "the worst" in three years.[151][152][153][154] Adding to the complications are the fact that in the same month, the head of the Palestine Monetary Authority, Jihad Al-Wazir, stated that the Palestinian Authority reached the maximum limit of borrowing from Palestinian banks.[155]
In July 2012, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad urged Arab countries to send the money they promised, which amounts to tens of millions of dollars, as they have not made good on their pledges, while Western donors have.[156] The Palestinian labor minister Ahmed Majdalani also warned of the consequences of a shortfall in the delivery of aid from Arab donor nations.[157]
In order to help the Palestinian Authority solve its crisis, Israel sought $1 billion in loans from the International Monetary Fund, intending to transfer this loan to the Palestinian Authority who would pay them back when possible. The IMF rejected the proposal because it feared setting a precedent of making IMF money available to non-state entities, like the Palestinian Authority, which as a non-state cannot directly request or receive IMF funding.[158][159][160][161]
In mid-July 2012, it was announced that Saudi Arabia would imminently send $100 million to the Palestinian Authority to help relieve them of their financial crisis. Still, the Palestinian Authority is seeking the support of other countries to send more money to help fix a budget deficit that is approximately $1.5 billion for 2012, and it is estimated that they need approximately $500 million more. Ghassan Khatib, a Palestinian Authority spokesman, said, "This $100 million is important and significant because it's coming from a leading Arab state, and this hopefully can be an example for other countries to follow... We will remain in need of external funding. Whenever it is affected, then we will be in crisis."[162][163]
By 15 July 2012, Palestinian Authority workers received only 60% of their salaries for June, which caused discontent against the government.[163]
In a "goodwill gesture" to the Palestinian Authority to renew dialogue with Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz decided to give Ramallah a NIS 180 million advance on tax money it transfers on a monthly basis. The Israeli government's economic cabinet also decided to increase the number of Palestinian construction workers allowed in Israel by approximately 5,000. One Israeli official said that the money helped the Palestinian Authority pay its salaries before Ramadan, and it was part of Israel's policy of helping to "preserve the Palestinian economy."[164]
The World Bank issued a report in July 2012 that the Palestinian economy cannot sustain statehood as long as it continues to heavily rely on foreign donations and the private sector fails to thrive. The report said that the Palestinian Authority is unlikely to reach fiscal sustainability until a peace deal is achieved that allows the private sector to experience rapid and sustained growth. The World Bank report also blamed the financial issues on the absence of a final status agreement that would allow for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict.[165]
As of May 2011, the Palestinian Authority spent $4.5 million per month paying Palestinian prisoners. The payments include monthly amounts such as NIS 12,000 ($3,000) to prisoners who have been imprisoned for over 30 years. The salaries, funded by the PA, are given to
As of January 2015[update], the PA has a debt of 1.8 bln NIS to the Israel Electric Corporation.[167]
In 2017, the PA received $693 million from foreign donors, of which $345 million, was paid out through the Martyrs Fund in the form of stipends to convicted militants and their families.[168]
Corruption
A poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research revealed that 71% of Palestinians believe there is corruption in the Palestinian Authority institutions in the West Bank, and 57% say there is corruption in the institutions of the dismissed Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip. 34% say that there is no freedom of the press in the West Bank, 21% say that there is press freedom in the West Bank, and 41% say there is to a certain extent. 29% of Palestinians say people in the West Bank can criticize the government in the West Bank without fear.[169][170][171]
At a hearing of the
In April 2013, the Palestinian organization Coalition for Transparency in Palestine said it was investigating 29 claims of stolen public funds. In addition, they said that the PA "has problems with money laundering, nepotism and misusing official positions." Twelve earlier claims were investigated and sent to the courts for resolution. In response, Palestinian Authority Justice Minister Ali Muhanna said that they have "made large strides in reducing corruption."[175]
International aid
The majority of aid to the Palestinian Authority comes from the United States and European Union. According to figures released by the PA, only 22 percent of the $530,000,000 received since the beginning of 2010 came from Arab donors. The remaining came from Western donors and organizations. The total amount of foreign aid received directly by the PA was $1.4 billion in 2009 and $1.8 billion in 2008.[176]
Palestinian leaders stated the Arab world was "continuing to ignore" repeated requests for help.[177]
The US and the EU responded to Hamas' political victory by stopping direct aid to the PA, while the US imposed a financial blockade on PA's banks, impeding some of the Arab League's funds (e.g. Saudi Arabia and Qatar) from being transferred to the PA.[178] On 6 and 7 May 2006, hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in Gaza and the West Bank demanding payment of their wages.
In 2013 there are 150,000 government employees. Income to run the government to serve about 4 million citizens, comes from donations from other countries.[179]
In 2020, Swedish foreign aid minister Peter Eriksson (Green Party) announced a 1.5 billion SEK support package (about 150 million euro) to the Palestine Authority in 2020–2024. This announcement came after several other countries had reduced aid due to indicators of corruption and that funds go towards the salaries of militants.[180]
Economic sanctions following January 2006 legislative elections
Following the
Use of European Union assistance
In February 2004, it was reported that the
US foreign aid packages
The US House for Foreign Operations announced a foreign assistance package to the Palestinian Authority that included provisions that would bar the government from receiving aid if it seeks statehood at the UN or includes Hamas in a unity government. The bill would provide $513 million for the Palestinian Authority.[184]
Payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons
On 22 July 2004, Salam Fayyad, PA Minister of Finance, in an article in the Palestinian weekly, The Jerusalem Times, detailed the following payments to Palestinians imprisoned by the Israeli authorities:[185]
- Prisoner allowances increased between June 2002 and June 2004 to $9.6M USD monthly, an increase of 246 percent compared with January 1995 – June 2002.
- Between June 2002 and June 2004, 77M NIS were delivered to Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, compared to 121M NIS between January 1995 and June 2002, which is an increase of 16M NIS yearly. The increase of annual spending between the two periods registers 450 percent, which is much higher than the percentage increase of the number of prisoners.
- Between 2002 and 2004, the PA paid 22M NIS to cover other expenses – lawyers' fees, fines, and allocations for released prisoners. This includes lawyers' fees paid directly by the PA and fees paid through the Prisoners Club.
In February 2011, The Jerusalem Post revealed that the PA was paying monthly salaries to members of Hamas who are in Israeli prisons.[186]
In March 2009, an extra 800 shekels ($190) was added to the stipends given to Palestinians affiliated with PLO factions in Israeli prisons, as confirmed by the head of Palestinian Prisoner Society in Nablus Ra'ed Amer. Each PLO-affiliated prisoner receives 1,000 shekels ($238) per month, an extra 300 shekels ($71) if they are married, and an extra 50 shekels ($12) for each child.[187]
In 2016 the United Kingdom had a domestic debate about how its aid to the PA ended up funding prisoners incarcerated in Israel.[188] In October 2016 a sum of £25 million, constituting a third of its aid payments, was withheld pending the results of an investigation.[citation needed]
James G. Lindsay
Lindsay has also argued that in any peace settlement acceptable to Israel "there will be few, if any, Palestinian refugees returning to Israel proper".[189] Lindsay suggested that internationally funded construction projects should try to benefit West Bank refugees who are willing to give up their longstanding demand for a "right of return". Lindsay also claimed that projects that will improve the living conditions of West Bank refugees could also be seen as part of the reparations or damages to be paid to refugees in any likely Israeli-Palestinian agreement. Lindsay criticized the Palestinian Authority treatment of these refugees:
PA projects are not likely to address refugee needs, however, since the PA has traditionally deferred to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) regarding infrastructure in refugee camps.[189]
See also
- Palestine Liberation Army
- Proposals for a Palestinian state
Notes
- ^ Before 2023, Gaza City was the largest city in the State of Palestine. Following attacks by Israel, a large amount of refugees from Gaza City and elsewhere in the Strip evacuated into the border city of Rafah, effectively making it the most populous city.
- Arabic: السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية as-Sulṭa al-Waṭanīya al-Filasṭīnīya
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Bibliography
- Brown, Nathan J. (2003), Palestinian politics after the Oslo accords: resuming Arab Palestine, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0-520-24115-2
- Eur (2003), The Middle East and North Africa 2003 (49th, illustrated ed.), Routledge, ISBN 978-1-85743-132-2
- Forbes, Andrew, and Henley, David, People of Palestine (Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books, 2012), ASIN: B0094TU8VY
- Rothstein, Robert L. (1999), After the peace: resistance and reconciliation (Illustrated ed.), Lynne Rienner Publishers, ISBN 978-1-55587-828-3
- Watson, Geoffrey R. (2000), The Oslo Accords: international law and the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements (Illustrated ed.), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-829891-5
- Thrall, Nathan (16 May 2017). The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine. Henry Holt and Company. pp. 144–. ISBN 978-1-62779-710-8.
- Peteet, Julie (Winter 2016). "The Work of Comparison: Israel/Palestine and Apartheid". Anthropological Quarterly. 89 (1): 247–281. S2CID 147128703.
External links
- Palestinian Media Watch – Timing and methods of the base of the Palestinian Authority (archived 23 October 2015)
- The Palestinian Basic Law – A collection of various proposals and amendments to the Basic Law of Palestine
- Columbia University Libraries – Palestine, directory category of the WWW-VL.
- Palestinian Territory Government at Curlie
Government
- State Information Service (archived 11 August 2003)
- Ministry of Planning (archived 11 October 2007)
- Ministry of Information (archived 8 April 2009)
- Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Archived 31 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic).
- Archive index at the Wayback Machine
- Ministry of Labor (archived)
- The Palestinian Legislative Council Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic)
- Ministry of the National Economy Archived 18 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- Negotiations Affairs Department (archived 3 February 2020)
- PECDAR – Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction (archived 11 December 2007)
- Palestine Media Center (in Arabic)