This is an entry from: Live: Gaza death toll nears 50,700
What is the Palestinian Authority and why does it matter?
4 April 2025 10:40 BST
The Palestinian Authority (PA) was created in 1994 after the Oslo Accords of 1993-1995. It is currently led by President Mahmoud Abbas.
It was intended as temporary five-year organisation to govern Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza ahead of the declaration of a Palestinian state.
But when the final-status negotiations failed in 2000, the PA became a permanent organisation, including its own security apparatus.
Three decades later, the authority has fallen short of those early hopes. It only controls parts of the West Bank and is hugely unpopular with Palestinians, who accuse it of supporting Israeli security crackdowns, failing to defend Palestinian freedom, and carrying out human rights abuses.
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