Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank


The Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank refers to the government body of the Palestinian National Authority, seated in Ramallah from 1994 until its split in 2007, and finally the rebranding into the Government of the State of Palestine in 2013.

Early history

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. Though the Fatah-led government claimed authority over all West Bank and Gaza Strip, Hamas's control of the Gaza Strip limited its authority de facto to the West Bank. The Fatah-led government's budget derived mainly from various aid programs and the Arab League, while the Hamas government in Gaza was mostly dependent on Iran until the onset of the Arab Spring in 2011.

Later history

Since 2007, the Fatah government had continued to oversee the Palestinian-controlled territories in the West Bank, while the Hamas government has continued to control the Gaza Strip. A reconciliation agreement to unite their governments, signed in Cairo in 2011, was ratified by the 2012 Hamas–Fatah Doha agreement. Renewed tensions between them, however, plus the effects of the Arab Spring have postponed its implementation. In 2011, representatives of the Authority failed to have their United Nations status upgraded, although their UNESCO status was upgraded to state representation. In July 2012, the Hamas government in Gaza was reported as considering a declaration of the independence of the Gaza Strip, with the support of neighboring Egypt. A unity government was sworn in on 2 June 2014.