The government of Palestine () is the government of the Palestinian Authority or the State of Palestine. Since June 2007, there have been two separate administrations in Palestine, one in the West Bank and the other in the Gaza Strip.
The Fatah government in the West Bank was generally recognised as the Palestinian Authority Government. The Fatah-dominated Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (EC) is the highest executive body of the Palestine Liberation Organization and acts as the government. On the other hand, the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip also claimed to be the legitimate government of the Palestinian Authority.
Until June 2014, when the Palestinian Unity Government was formed, the government in the West Bank was the Fatah-dominated Palestinian government of 2013. In the Gaza Strip, the government was the Hamas government of 2012. Following two Fatah–Hamas Agreements in 2014, on 25 September 2014 Hamas agreed to let the PA Government resume control over the Gaza Strip and its border crossings with Egypt and Israel. However, that agreement had broken down by June 2015, after President Abbas said the PA government was unable to operate in the Gaza Strip.
History The following organizations have claimed or exercised authority over the Palestinian people or a Arab state in Palestine in the past: Arab Higher Committee, the central political organ of the Arab community of Mandatory Palestine. It was established on 25 April 1936 and was sidestepped by the All-Palestine Government in 1948. First Committee 1936-1937 (Arab Higher Committee) Second Committee 1945-1948 (Arab Higher Committee) All-Palestine Government, a Palestinian entity set-up by the Arab League in Egypt-occupied Gaza Strip on 22 September 1948. It was dissolved by Egypt in 1959. Palestine Liberation Organization has been the official representative of the Palestinian people internationally since 1964. On 22 November 1974, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3236 recognized the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty in Palestine. It also recognized the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and accorded it observer status in the United Nations. Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (EC) is the highest executive body of the PLO.Abbas confirms resignation from PLO Executive Committee . The Middle East Monitor, 24 August 2015 "The Palestinian National Council also empowered the central council to form a government-in-exile when appropriate, and the executive committee to perform the functions of government until such time as a government-in-exile was established."Status of Palestine in the United Nations. UNGA Resolution A/RES/67/19, 29-11-2012"Taking into consideration that the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, in accordance with a decision by the Palestine National Council, is entrusted with the powers and responsibilities of the Provisional Government of the State of Palestine" Mahmoud Abbas has been Chairman of the EC since the death of Yasser Arafat in November 2004. The EC represents the Palestinian people, supervises the various PLO bodies, executes the policies and decisions of the PNC, and handles the PLO’s financial issues. The EC represents the PLO internationally,PLO vs. PA . Passia, September 2014 and acts as the government of the State of Palestine.
PNA governments
Palestinian National Authority was formally an interim administrative body established by the PLO pursuant to the Oslo Accords of 1993. Pursuant to the Oslo Accords, the PA Government had only authority over some civil rights of the Palestinians in the West Bank Areas A and B and in the Gaza Strip, and over internal security in Area A and in Gaza. One of the security tasks was the security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which among other things aimed at the prevention of Palestinian attacks on the Israeli army and settlers. Until 2007 it exercised control of populated areas in Area A and B of the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip:
Palestinian Authority Government of 1996—formed following the first general elections held on 20 January 1996. It was headed by Chairman of the PLO Yasser Arafat, and functioned until 29 April 2003. Palestinian government of October 2002 (PNA) Palestinian government of November 2003 (PNA) Palestinian government of March 2006 (PNA) Palestinian government of March 2007 (PNA, unity of Hamas and Fatah)
Split of Fatah and Hamas Since June 2007, the Fatah-led government has exercised authority in Ramallah, West Bank, and has been recognized as the official government of the Palestinian Authority; while since Hamas took control in the Gaza Strip, it has exercised de facto control there, ousting Fatah PNA representatives in June 2007. Fatah government in the West Bank Palestinian governments of June–July 2007 (PNA, Fatah) Palestinian government of 2009 (PNA, Fatah) Palestinian governments of 2013 (PNA, Fatah)—two governments were formed in 2013, in June and September, after the upgrade in the United Nations of Palestine to the status of non-member observer state. Both were led by Rami Hamdallah. Palestinian government of 2015 (PNA, Fatah)—led by Hamdallah. Palestinian government of 2019 (PNA, Fatah)—the 18th Palestinian government since the establishment of the PA in 2004, led by Mohammad Shtayyeh, member of the Fatah Central Committee, the 23-member government includes 16 new ministers. Governance of the Gaza Strip First Hamas government 2007–12 (Hamas Administration in Gaza) Second Hamas government September 2012–14 (Hamas Administration in Gaza) Third Hamas government 2016–present is the Gaza-based Hamas-dominated de facto government in Gaza. It is made up of Deputy Ministers, Directors General and other high-level officials, not directly bound to the Ramallah administration. It was initially speculated that the 2016 Hamas government is an attempt by Ismail Haniyeh to return to full control of the Gaza enclave. The United States, Canada, the European Union, Japan and Israel classify Hamas as a terrorist organization and do not recognize the government. Hamas government is not recognized by the Ramallah administration of the State of Palestine. Palestinian Unity Government The Palestinian Unity Government was formed on 2 June 2014, following the Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Agreement of 23 April 2014. However, the Government was not presented for approval by the Legislative Council, leading to its legitimacy being questioned. The ministers were nominally independent, but overwhelmingly seen as loyal to President Abbas and his Fatah movement or to smaller leftist factions, none of whom were believed to have close ties to Hamas. A feature of this government is the appointment of Deputy Ministers, Directors General and other high-level officials for Gaza, and not directly bound to the Ramallah administration. The government of 2014 resigned on 17 June 2015, under protest from Hamas which was not consulted.Palestinian unity government resigns. Al Jazeera, 17 June 2015Hamas Rejects 'One-sided' Dissolution of Palestinian Government. Haaretz, 17 June 2015 In July and December 2015, Abbas reshuffled the cabinet and appointed new ministers without consulting Hamas, which was denounced by Hamas. Although Hamas did not recognize the new ministers and rejected the changes, the reshuffling was called "technical and not political",Abbas to reshuffle Palestinian gov't. Xinhua, 1 July 2015 and the new cabinet was presented as a slightly changed existing government, still called "consensus government".New cabinet reshuffle on consensus government. Ma’an, 1 July 2015
2024 Beijing Declaration
Following talks mediated by China, on 23 July 2024, Palestinian groups including Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement to end their divisions and form an interim unity government, which they announced in the "Beijing Declaration". The agreement was designed to address governance for "the day after" a ceasefire with Israel.
Gaza Strip under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803
A peace plan agreed by both Hamas and the Israeli government includes provisions for a Board of Peace and National Committee for the Administration of Gaza to administer the Gaza Strip for a transitional period, before turning over administration to a reformed Palestinian Authority.
Current cabinet of Palestine
#OfficePortraitNamePartyTook office1Prime MinisterMuhammad Abdullah Muhammad Mustafa Independent31 March 20242Minister of Foreign Affairs and ExpatriatesFarsin Ohanes Vartan Aghabikan Independent23 June 20253Minister of JusticeSharhabeel Youssef Saad al-Din al-Zaim Independent31 March 20244Minister of InteriorZiad Mahmoud Muhammad Hab al-Rih Fatah1 January 20225Minister of Finance and PlanningEstephan Salameh Independent15 December 20256Minister of Local GovernmentSami Ahmed Arif Hijjawi Independent31 March 20247Minister of HealthMajid Awni Muhammad Abu Ramadan Independent31 March 20248Minister of Education and Higher EducationAmjad Saad Suleiman Barham Independent31 March 20249Minister of LaborEnas Hosni Abdel Ghani Attari Independent31 March 202410Minister of Awqaf and Religious AffairsMuhammad Mustafa Muhammad Najm Independent31 March 202411Minister of IndustryArafat Hussein Suleiman Asfour Independent31 March 202412Minister of National EconomyMuhammad Youssef Muhammad al-Amour Independent31 March 202413Minister of Telecommunications and Digital EconomyAbdel Razek Maher Abdel Razek Natsheh Independent31 March 202414Minister of Public Works and HousingAhed Faeq Atef Bseiso Independent31 March 202415Minister of Social DevelopmentSamah Abdul Rahim Hussein Abu Aoun Independent31 March 202416Minister of AgricultureRizq Abdul Rahman Salem Salimiya Independent31 March 202417Minister of Tourism and AntiquitiesHani Naji Atallah al-Hayek Fatah31 March 202418Minister of Jerusalem AffairsAshraf Hassan Abbas al-Awar Independent31 March 202419Minister of CultureImad al-Din Abdullah Salim Hamdan Independent31 March 202420Minister of Transport and CommunicationsMohammed al-Ahmad Independent15 November 202521Minister of Women's AffairsMona Muhammad Mahmoud al-Khalili Independent31 March 202422Minister of State for Relief AffairsSamah Abdul Rahim Hussein Abu Aoun (Interim) Independent20 January 2025General Secretariat of the Council of MinistersDawas Tayseer Rasheed Dawas Independent31 March 2024Government SpokespersonMuhammad Abu al-Rub Independent31 March 2024
List of cabinets GovernmentDates in officePrime MinisterAll-Palestine22 September 1948 – June 1959Ahmed Hilmi Pasha1st5 July 1994 – 17 May 1996Yasser Arafat2nd17 May 1996 – 9 August 1998Yasser Arafat3rd9 August 1998 – 13 June 2002Yasser Arafat4th13 June 2002 – 29 October 2002Yasser Arafat5th29 October 2002 – 30 April 2003Yasser Arafat6th30 April 2003 – 7 October 2003Mahmoud Abbas7th7 October 2003 – 12 November 2003Ahmed Qurei8th12 November 2003 – 24 February 2005Ahmed Qurei9th24 February 2005 – 29 March 2006Ahmed Qurei10th29 March 2006 – 17 March 2007Ismail Haniyeh11th17 March 2007 – 14 June 2007Ismail Haniyeh12th14 June 2007 – 19 May 2009Salam Fayyad13th19 May 2009 – 16 May 2012Salam Fayyad14th16 May 2012 – 6 June 2013Salam Fayyad15th6 June 2013 – 19 September 2013Rami Hamdallah16th19 September 2013 – 2 June 2014Rami Hamdallah17th2 June 2014 – 13 April 2019Rami Hamdallah18th13 April 2019 – 31 March 2024Mohammad Shtayyeh19th31 March 2024 – presentMohammad Mustafa
Timeline
Public opinion