Palestinian Authority

Background

Since there has never been an independent "Palestinian state", the Palestinian Authority has the difficult task of establishing a concept of government where none has existed before. The area which is now Israel and its territories was controlled by the Roman Empire 2000 years ago, followed by the Byzantine Empire, the pan-Arab Empire, the Turks, the Crusaders, again the Turks, the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the British Mandate, and now the Israelis. During the past several hundred years (especially after the creation of the British Mandate), the Arabs living in Palestine began to identify specifically as Palestinians rather than just as Arabs.

When the United Nations offered its partition plan to the Jews and the Arabs in 1947, the Arab states encourages Palestinian rejection of the plan. The State of Israel was declared in 1948, and Arab armies encouraged the Palestinians to temporarily leave their homes so that Israel could be destroyed. The Israelis, however, won the war, and the only parts of the original mandate in Arab hands were the Gaza Strip (controlled by Egypt) and the West Band (controlled by Jordan). Close to 1,000,000 Palestinians live within the Green Line and are Israeli citizens, but the rest either went to the West Bank and Gaza or to other countries. Jordan annexed the West Bank, which angered Palestinian nationalists; the Jordanian approach was to integrate Palestinians into Jordan whereas the Egyptians wanted to maintain a sense of Palestinian nationalism.

In 1967, a war broke out in which Israel took control of the Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. Large Palestinian populations lived in Gaza and the West Bank. Many of them fled elsewhere, but many stayed. Israel annexed East Jerusalem, so Arabs living there could become Israeli citizens, but most didn't because they did not want to recognize Israeli sovereignty. The rest of the territory remains occupied, so Palestinians there are not subject to Israeli law and are not Israeli citizens.

After the 1967 War, the Palestine Liberation Organization quickly became the generally recognized representative of the Palestinian people. First headquartered in Jordan, then Lebanon and finally Tunisia, it was led by Yasser Arafat. In the 1980s, the "intifada" (uprising) broke out in the territories, causing a long period of low-level guerilla fighting between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants. It was during this period that Jordan relinquished any claim to the West Bank.

In 1993, newly elected Labor Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Arafat signed the Oslo Accords, granting Palestinian self-rule in Gaza and Jericho. In 1995, "Oslo II" expanded this to several other cities in the West Bank, including Hebron. Final status talks have yet to start, partially due to the perceived stubbornness of Likud Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The PLO has been transformed into the Palestinian Authority, though they are still officially separate organizations. The PA is the autonomous body which governs the self-rule areas and has a large police force. Arafat is head of both the PLO and the PA, although his health is failing. In the even that Arafat dies or is unable to lead, the several positions he holds would likely be split up among his current deputies.

Goals

The Palestinian Authority, the only body which currently negotiates with the Israelis, represents a relatively moderate group of Palestinians. Although they would likely prefer that Israel not exist, the PA seems willing to accept the Israeli State. The PA wants a Palestinian State with as many sovereign powers as possible in the entirety of the West Bank and Gaza, with its capital in East Jerusalem. Since Israel has the power to decide what they get and what they don't, it is unlikely that the Palestinians will get all of the territory that they want.

The PA also wants a right of return for Palestinian refugees who currently do not live in the territories. This will be a difficult issue to negotiate with the Israelis, but nevertheless one that must be resolved. Another important concern is the countries surrounding the territories: Jordan and Egypt.