Palestinian National Authority
 

Adopted 1 Dec 1964 by PLO as Flag of Palestine                               Palestine State Flag Palestinian Authority Map Hear National Anthem "Biladi" (My Country) Text of National Anthem Adopted 1996 Palestinian National Charter  (17 Jul 1968) Headquarters: Ramallah Seat of Legislature: Gaza City (declared capital: East Jerusalem) Currency: Jordanian Dinar (JOD); New Israeli Shekel (ILS)  National Holiday: 15 Nov (1988) Independence Day (National Day) Population: West Bank: 2,407,681 (2008)¹ Gaza Strip: 1,500,202 (2008)² GDP: $11.95 billion (2008) (includes Gaza Strip) Exports: $339 million (2006) (includes Gaza Strip) Imports: $1.3 billion (2007) (includes Gaza Strip) Ethnic groups:  Gaza Strip: Palestinian Arab and others 99.4%; West Bank: Palestinian Arab and other 83%,  Jewish 17%  Total Police and Security Forces: 29,000 (2002) UNTSO troops: 150 (2007) Merchant marine: None (2008) Religions:  Gaza Strip: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99.3%, Christian 0.7%; West Bank: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% International Organizations/Treaties PLO/Palestine: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, AU (observer), CAEU, G-77, GAFTA, ICAO (observer), ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, ILO (observer), IOC, IPU, ISESCO, ISO (correspondent), ITUC, NAM, OIC, UN (observer), UNCLOS (observer), UNESCO (observer), UNRWA (observer), UNWTO (observer), WFTU Palestinian National Authority Index Chronology 23 Aug 1516                Palestine part of the Ottoman Empire. 26 Sep 1918                British occupation (Palestine). 14 Jul 1922                Palestine League of Nations mandate under                               Britain (see Israel). 14 May 1948                Former British mandate of Palestine independent                              as Israel; West Bank under Jordan, Gaza under                              Egyptian administration. 22 Sep 1948                All-Palestine Government formed; recognized                              in Oct 1948 only by Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi                               Arabia and Syria.  Ceases to function by                               Feb 1949, formally abolished 1952. 24 Apr 1950                Jordan annexes the West Bank and East Jerusalem                              (occupied since May 1948). 30 Oct 1956 - Mar 1957     Sinai peninsula and Gaza Strip (from 2/3 Nov)                              occupied by Israel. 10 Mar 1957 - 1957         Gaza Strip under interim UN administration                              (United Nations Emergency Forces [UNEF]). 6/12 Jun 1967              West Bank (Jordan) and Gaza Strip (Egypt)                               occupied by Israel. 25 Sep 1969                Organization of the Islamic Conference admits                               Palestine, represented by the PLO. 10 Nov 1975                Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) granted                               permanent observer status in the United Nations.  9 Sep 1976                Palestine Liberation Organization admitted as                              a member of Arab League. 31 Jul 1988                Jordan abandons claims to West Bank. 15 Nov 1988                Palestine National Congress meeting in                               Algiers declared a Palestinian state on the                               West Bank and Gaza Strip (to no effect).   4 May 1994                Palestinian Authority created to administer most                              of Gaza Strip and parts of West Bank (Jericho                              area handed over 13 May 1994, Gaza Strip 18 May                              1994, Jenin 13 Nov 1995, Tulkarem 10 Dec 1995,                              Nablus 11 Dec 1995, Qalqiliya 16 Dec 1995,                              Bethlehem 21 Dec 1995, Ramallah 27 Dec 1995,                               80% of Hebron 17 Jan 1997). 12 Mar 2002 - 23 Mar 2002  Israeli forces occupy Palestinian Authority                               areas. 29 Mar 2002 - 10 May 2002  Israeli forces occupy Palestinian Authority                              areas. 12 Sep 2005                Israel withdraws settlements from the Gaza Strip. 14 Jun 2007 -              Hamas forces seize control of the Gaza Strip. East Jerusalem Mayors Map of 1947 UN Partition Plan Map of Palestinian Refugee Camps Map of Israeli Settlements in Gaza Strip Map of Israeli Settlements in West Bank Map of East Jerusalem Map of Israeli Land Restrictions in West Bank and Gaza Strip

Note: The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is an autonomous national entity comprising the territories of Gaza (formerly under Egyptian sovereignty) and West Bank (formerly under Jordan sovereignty), which were occupied by the Israeli Defense Forces in Jun 1967. As provided by the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles signed on 13 Sep 1993 and upon the Agreement signed on 4 May 1994, the PNA was inaugurated on 5 Jul 1994 as a transitional status including Palestinian interim self-governing and a phased transfer of powers and territories (towns and areas of the West Bank). Negotiations on the permanent status, which could end in a Palestinian State, are under way.

Chairmen of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee 
10 Jun 1964 - 24 Dec 1967  Ahmad ash-Shukeiri                 (b. 1907 - d. 1980)
24 Dec 1967 -  2 Feb 1969  Yahya Hammuda
 2 Feb 1969 - 11 Nov 2004  Yasser Arafat                      (s.a.)               Fatah
                            (Abd ar-Rahman Abd ar-Rauf al-Qudwah al-Husayni)
                            (in exile in Jordan to Apr 1971; Lebanon 1971 -
                             Dec 1982; and Tunis Dec 1982 - May 1994)
29 Oct 2004 -              Mahmoud Ridha Abbas                (s.a.)               Fatah
                             (acting [for Arafat] to 11 Nov 2004) 
 

President of the Supreme Council
22 Sep 1948 - 1952         Haji Muhammad Amin al-Husseini     (b. 1896 - d. 1974)
                             (in Cairo, Egypt)
Presidents of the Palestinian Authority
 5 Jul 1994 - 11 Nov 2004  Yasser Arafat ("Abu Ammar")        (b. 1929 - d. 2004)  Fatah/PLO
                             (Israeli detainee in Ramallah 29 Mar - 1 May 2002,
                             5-6 Jun 2002, 20-29 Sep 2002, Jan 2003 - 29 Oct 2004;
                             from 29 Oct 2004 in Paris, France)
29 Oct 2004 - 11 Nov 2004  Ahmed Qureia ("Abu Ala")           (b. 1937)            Fatah/PLO
                             (acting for Arafat)
11 Nov 2004 - 15 Jan 2005  Rauhi Fattouh (acting)             (b. 1953)            PLO 
15 Jan 2005 -              Mahmoud Ridha Abbas ("Abu Mazen")  (b. 1935)            Fatah/PLO

Prime ministers
 1 Oct 1948 - 1952         Ahmad Abdul Baqi Hilmi             (b. 1878 - d. 1963)
                             (in Gaza; from Nov 1948 in Cairo, Egypt)
30 Apr 2003 -  7 Oct 2003  Mahmoud Ridha Abbas                (s.a.)               Fatah/PLO
                             (designated on 19 Mar 2003)
 7 Oct 2003 - 15 Dec 2005  Ahmed Qureia (1st time)            (s.a.)               Fatah/PLO
15 Dec 2005 - 24 Dec 2005  Nabil Shaath (acting)              (b. 1938)            Fatah/PLO
24 Dec 2005 - 29 Mar 2006  Ahmed Qureia (2nd time)            (s.a.)               Fatah/PLO
29 Mar 2006 - 14 Jun 2007  Ismail Haniya                      (b. 1962)            Hamas
                              (from 15 Jun 2007, in rebellion in Gaza Strip)
17 Jun 2007 -              Salam Fayyad                       (b. 1952)            TWP
 

West Bank

Military Governors of West Bank
12 May 1948 - 1967         Masri Hikmat (Jordan)              (b. 1906 - d. 1994)
Sep 1949 - 1950            Nasasibi Ragib (Jordan)            (b. 1881 - d. 1951)
                             (governor of Arab Palestine)
1967 - Dec 1967            Chaim Herzog (Israel)
Dec 1967 - 1969?           Raphael Vardi
1970's                     Rehavamze 'Evi
1974 - 1976                Aryeh Shalev
1976 - May 1978            David Hagoel
1978 - 1981                Binyamin Ben Eliezer 
Civil Administrators
Nov 1981 - 1982            Menahem Milson
1985 - 1987                Ephraim Sneh
1987 - 1989                Amram Mitzna
c.1989                     Yitzhak Mordecai
c.1991                     Fredy Zach
Jan 1992 - Aug 1993        Moshe Yaalon
1993 - Feb 1994            Shaul Mofaz
c.1994                     Danny Yaton
Feb 1995 - Sep 1996        Ilan Biran
.... - Sep 2000            Shlomo Oren
2000 - 2001                Benny Ganz
2001                       Ariel Peleg
2002                       Gershon Yitzhak
2002 - 2003                Moshe Kaplinski
2004                       Gadi Eisencott
2004                       Yitzhak Eitan

Gaza Strip

Governors of Gaza Strip
26 May 1948 - 19..         Ahmed Salem (Egypt)
                             (military governor)
19.. - 1956                Fuad al Digwi (Egypt)
17 Mar 1957 - 19..         Hassan Abdel Latif (Egypt) 
1950's                     Yussef al Agrudi (Egypt)
1956 - Mar 1957            Matti Peled (Israel)
1970's                     Yitzhak Segev (Israel)
1971 - 19..                Yitzhak Pundak (Israel)
c.1981                     Yusef Lunz (Israel)

Commanders of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF)
(first in Suez Canal sector and Sinai peninsula; later along Armistice 
Demarcation Line in Gaza area and international frontier in Sinai 
peninsula on the Egyptian side)
Nov 1956 - Dec 1959        E.L.M. Burns (Canada)              (b. 1897 - d. 1985)
                             (from 10 Mar 1957 in Gaza)
Dec 1959 - Jan 1964        P.S. Gyani (India)                 (b. 1910)
Jan 1964 - Aug 1964        Carlos F. Pavia Chaves (Brazil)
Aug 1964 - Jan 1965        Lazar Musicki (Yugoslavia)
                             (acting)
Jan 1965 - Jan 1966        Syseno Sarmento (Brazil)
Jan 1966 - Jun 1967        Indar J. Rikhye (India)            (b. 1920 - d. 2007)

  ¹There are some 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank (Jul 2008 est.) and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (Jul 2008 est.). 

 ²until Aug 2005 there were more than 5,000 Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip.

Territorial Disputes: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in Aug. 2005; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from the Gaza Strip in Aug. 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region.

Party abbreviations: Fatah = Harakat al-Tahrar al-Filistini (Liberation Movement of Palestine); Hamas = Harakat al-Muqawima al-Islamiyya (Islamic Resistance Movement, militant, islamist); PLO = Palestinian Liberation Organization (umbrella group for Palestinian liberation movements, includes Fatah); TWP = Third Way Party (centerist)