# Palestinian Authority (PA) ## Executive Profile (BLUF) The **Palestinian Authority** (*Palestinian National Authority* — PNA, commonly **PA**) is the interim self-governance body established under the 1993–1995 [[Oslo Accords]] to administer the civilian and limited security affairs of the Palestinian population in the [[West Bank]] Areas A and B, and — until the 2007 Hamas-Fatah split — the [[Gaza Strip]]. Since 2007 the PA has governed only in the West Bank; [[Hamas]] rules Gaza. Dominated politically by [[Fatah]] and led since 2005 by President [[Mahmoud Abbas]] (now operating well beyond his original four-year term), the PA is functionally a fragmented, donor-dependent civil administration whose legitimacy and operational capacity have both eroded substantially during the 2023–present [[Gaza War]]. In 2026 the PA faces concurrent legitimacy, security, and financial crises — with ongoing Israeli withholding of clearance revenues, near-continuous IDF raids into West Bank refugee camps, and open speculation about post-Abbas succession. ## Strategic Context * **Legal Architecture**: Established by Oslo I (Gaza-Jericho Agreement, 1994) and Oslo II (1995). Supposed to be interim (five-year transition) pending final-status negotiation; has persisted for 30+ years without final-status resolution. * **Political Structure**: President ([[Mahmoud Abbas]], 2005–present); Prime Minister (Mohammad Mustafa, since March 2024, technocratic government); Palestinian Legislative Council — defunct since 2007; dominated by [[Fatah]] with smaller PLO factions. * **Security Services**: Multiple overlapping services — [[Preventive Security Unit]], General Intelligence, National Security Forces, Police. Coordination with [[Shin Bet]] is a defining transactional relationship (the "security coordination" arrangement) that has been partially suspended and resumed multiple times since 2023. * **Financial Basis**: VAT clearance revenues collected by Israel under Paris Protocol (frequently withheld as political leverage); international donor assistance (EU, US, Arab League); near-complete external dependency. * **Recognition**: Observer state at UN (2012); recognised by ~140 states as "State of Palestine." ## Key Connections - [[West Bank]] — principal governed territory (Areas A and B) - [[Gaza Strip]] — governed 1994–2007; Hamas-ruled since - [[Israel]] — occupying power and security-coordination counterpart - [[Hamas]] — principal political-military rival - [[Fatah]] — dominant political faction - [[Mahmoud Abbas]] — current President - [[01 Actors & Entities/13_Agencies_&_Departments/Preventive Security Unit]] — principal PA intelligence service - [[Shin Bet]] — primary Israeli counterpart in security coordination - [[Oslo Accords]] — founding legal framework - [[04 Current Crises/Active Conflicts/Gaza War]] — post-war governance question - [[02 Concepts & Tactics/Lawfare]] — ICC/ICJ proceedings Palestinian participation - [[International Criminal Court]] — PA ratified Rome Statute 2015 - [[Abraham Accords]] — regional normalisation dynamic marginalising PA