Fatah,formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement,is a Palestinian nationalist and social democratic political party. It is the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the second-largest party in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Mahmoud Abbas,the President of the Palestinian Authority,is the chairman of Fatah.
The Palestinian National Authority,commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over West Bank areas "A" and "B" as a consequence of the 1993–1995 Oslo Accords. The Palestinian Authority controlled the Gaza Strip prior to the Palestinian elections of 2006 and the subsequent Gaza conflict between the Fatah and Hamas parties,when it lost control to Hamas;the PA continues to claim the Gaza Strip,although Hamas exercises de facto control. Since January 2013,the Palestinian Authority has used the name "State of Palestine" on official documents,although the United Nations continues to recognize the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as the "representative of the Palestinian people".
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establishing Arab unity and statehood over the territory of former Mandatory Palestine,in opposition to the State of Israel. In 1993,alongside the Oslo I Accord,the PLO's aspiration for Arab statehood was revised to be specifically for the Palestinian territories under an Israeli occupation since the 1967 Arab–Israeli War.
Mahmoud Abbas,also known by the kunya Abu Mazen,is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian National Authority. He has been the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) since 11 November 2004,PNA president since 15 January 2005,and State of Palestine president since 8 May 2005. Abbas is also a member of the Fatah party and was elected chairman in 2009.
George Habash,also known by his laqab "al-Hakim" was a Palestinian Christian politician who founded the Marxist–Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Habash served as General Secretary of the PFLP until 2000,when ill health forced him to resign.
The Palestinian Democratic Union,generally known as FIDA is a small Palestinian political party active in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
The Palestinian Popular Struggle Front,,is a Palestinian political party. Samir Ghawshah was elected secretary-general of PPSF in 1971 and led it until his death in 2009. He was succeeded by Ahmed Majdalani on 8 August 2009.
The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization is the highest executive body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO),and acts as the government of the State of Palestine.
The Prisoners' Document,officially the National Conciliation Document was written in May 2006 by Palestinian prisoners,who were being held in an Israeli jail. The five prisoners who took part in writing the Document were respectively affiliated with Fatah,Hamas,Islamic Jihad,the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP),and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).
The next Palestinian legislative election was scheduled for 22 May 2021,according to a decree by President Mahmoud Abbas on 15 January 2021,but was indefinitely postponed on 29 April 2021.
Legislative elections were held in the Palestinian territories on 25 January 2006 in order to elect the second Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC),the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The result was a victory for Hamas,contesting under the list name of Change and Reform,which received 44.45% of the vote and won 74 of the 132 seats,whilst the ruling Fatah received 41.43% of the vote and won just 45 seats.
The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is the unicameral legislature of the Palestinian Authority,elected by the Palestinian residents of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It currently comprises 132 members,elected from 16 electoral districts of the Palestinian Authority. The PLC has a quorum requirement of two-thirds,and since 2006 Hamas and Hamas-affiliated members have held 74 of the 132 seats in the PLC. The PLC's activities were suspended in 2007 and remained so as of January 2021,while PLC committees continue working at a low rate and parliamentary panel discussions are still occurring.
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organization. It is also frequently referred to as the Democratic Front,or al-Jabha al-Dīmūqrāṭiyya. It is a member organization of the Palestine Liberation Organization,the Alliance of Palestinian Forces and the Democratic Alliance List.
The Battle of Gaza,also referred to as Hamas's takeover of Gaza,was a military conflict between Fatah and Hamas,that took place in the Gaza Strip between June 10 and 15,2007. It was a prominent event in the Fatah–Hamas conflict,centered on the struggle for power,after Fatah lost the parliamentary elections of 2006. Hamas fighters took control of the Gaza Strip and removed Fatah officials. The battle resulted in the dissolution of the unity government and the de facto division of the Palestinian territories into two entities,the West Bank governed by the Palestinian National Authority,and Gaza governed by Hamas.
The Palestinian National Covenant or Palestinian National Charter is the covenant or charter of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The Covenant is an ideological paper,written in the early days of the PLO.
Dr. Sufian Abu Zaida,also spelled Sufyan Abu Zayda,is a senior Palestinian leader,a member of Fatah and the PLO,and a former Minister of Prisoner Affairs at the Palestinian Authority. From February,2005 until the establishment of the Hamas government,Abu Zayda served in the government of the Palestinian Authority as Minister of Prisoners and ex-Prisoners' Affairs and Minister of Civil Affairs. As Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs (1999–2004),his responsibilities focused on coordination with the Israeli government regarding all the civil aspects of the agreements,especially the movement of Palestinians,international crossing points and coordination between Palestinian ministries and their Israeli counterparts. Among many other activities,he has been active in the Israeli-Palestinian Geneva Initiative,in which "moderates" from both sides argue that it is possible to find a just two-state solution. Dr. Abu Zaida is also an academic scholar and lecturer at several Palestinian and International Universities and the Director of the Masters programs at Al-Quds University.
The Fatah–Hamas reconciliation process refers to a series of reconciliation attempts to resolve the hostility between Fatah and Hamas since the 2006–2007 Fatah–Hamas conflict and Hamas' subsequent takeover of the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014 was a national unity government of the Palestinian National Authority under Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formed on 2 June 2014 following the Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Agreement that had been signed on 23 April 2014. 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. However,the Unity Government was not approved by the Legislative Council,leading to its legitimacy being questioned. The Unity Government dissolved on 17 June 2015 after President Abbas said it was unable to operate in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Cairo Declaration was a declaration signed on 19 March 2005 by twelve Palestinian factions,including Fatah,Hamas,Islamic Jihad,Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). The Cairo Declaration reaffirmed the status of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people through the participation in it of all forces and factions according to democratic principles. The Declaration implied a reform of the PLO by the inclusion in the PLO of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The Palestinian cabinet,headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah,announced on 23 June 2016 a decision to hold municipal elections on 8 October 2016. The elections were suspended by the Palestinian Court in early September and in January 2017 they were set to 13 May 2017. They were expected to be the first elections in all of the Palestinian territories since Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007,as Hamas agreed to participate in the local elections and allow them to be held in the Gaza Strip but disagreements between Hamas and Fatah led to Hamas boycotting stating it will participate only after "ending disagreements,achieving reconciliation,and uniting Palestinian institutions,including at the political,judicial,and security levels". The elections were later slated to be held in West Bank in May 2017 and were postponed in Gaza Strip.
