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81-522: The park is full with natural attractions, including man-made forests, Mediterranean woodlands home to many local flowers, and the remains of ancient orchards. The park also has a number of historical interest, including a Hasmonean Jewish fort, burial caves and ritual baths of the Second Temple period and the Bar Kokhba revolt , a Crusader fort , a Roman bathhouse that was turned into

162-432: A maqam , the remnants of three former Palestinian Arab towns, and various military memorials. There are also recreation areas, springs, and panoramic several hilltop views. Canada Park is considered a popular tourist destination for Israelis, drawing some 300,000 visitors annually. Canada Park covers an area of 7,000 dunams. It is filled with wooded areas, walking trails, water features and archaeological sites. Trees in

243-629: A prime minister leading a Cabinet. According to the Palestinian Basic Law which was signed by Arafat in 2002 after a long delay, the current structure of the PA is based on three separate branches of power: executive, legislative, and judiciary. The PA was created by, is ultimately accountable to, and has historically been associated with, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), with whom Israel negotiated

324-761: A Hamas-led Palestinian government was formed, the Quartet (United States, Russia, United Nations, and European Union) conditioned future foreign assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) on the future government's commitment to non-violence, recognition of the State of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements. Hamas rejected these demands, which resulted in the Quartet suspension of its foreign assistance program and Israel imposed economic sanctions . In December 2006, Ismail Haniyeh , Prime Minister of

405-517: A campaign to have the 50-km (30 mile) Latrun Valley, contiguous to the Green Line, restored to it as 'vital and integral part of the State of Palestine as defined by the 1967 border. According to former Israel parliamentarian and political left activist, Uri Avnery , the creation of the park was tantamount to complicity in ethnic cleansing , and Canadian involvement in its creation a "cover to

486-539: A change in the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank. In February 2011, the Palestinian Authority announced that parliamentary and presidential elections would be held by September 2011. On 27 April 2011, Fatah's Azzam al-Ahmad announced the party's signing of a memorandum of understanding with Hamas' leadership, a major step towards reconciliation effectively paving the way for a unity government . The deal

567-594: A double game...with regards to battling Hamas, there's coordination if not cooperation with Israel. But on the political front, the PA is trying to generate a popular intifada." Since the Hamas-Fatah split in 2007, the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority based in areas of the West Bank had stabilized, though no significant economic growth had been achieved. Until 2012, there had also been no progress in promotion of PNA status in

648-405: A government, it had not been implemented. The 2011 deal also promised the entry of Hamas into the Palestine Liberation Organization and holding of elections to its Palestine National Council decision-making body, which was not implemented as well. The deal was further ratified in the 2012 Hamas–Fatah Doha agreement , which was made with the background of Hamas relocation from Damascus, due to

729-576: A partner and refused to negotiate with him, regarding him as linked to terrorism. Arafat denied this, and was visited by other leaders around the world up until his death. However, this began a push for change in the Palestinian leadership. In 2003, Mahmoud Abbas resigned because of lack of support from Israel, the US, and Arafat himself. He won the presidency on 9 January 2005 with 62% of the vote. Former prime minister Ahmed Qureia formed his government on 24 February 2005 to wide international praise because, for

810-555: A reply. In 2007, the Israeli NGO Zochrot wrote to Israel's minister of defense, Ehud Barak , on behalf of the residents to ask why they could not return to their homes. In 2008, the minister's office informed them that "The return of the village inhabitants [was] not allowed for security considerations". In 2013, the Palestinian National Authority 's Negotiations Affairs Department launched

891-417: A return of refugees to their land, while, as evergreens, quickly concealing the demolished village sites with year round leafage. 31°50′19″N 34°59′52″E  /  31.83861°N 34.99778°E  / 31.83861; 34.99778 Garrigue Garrigue or garigue ( / ɡ ə ˈ r iː ɡ / gə- REEG ), also known as phrygana ( Greek : φρύγανα [ˈfriɣana] , n. pl. ),

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972-705: A similar Mediterranean climate ecoregion is named chaparral ; in Chile it is named the matorral ; in South Africa it is named fynbos ; and in Australia it is named mallee . All are in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. Both garrigue and maquis are associated with the Mediterranean climate within the Mediterranean region . However, the distinction is not clear and term use

1053-430: A war crime". According to Meron Benvenisti the function of such re-afforestation projects like that at Canada Park was to confiscate Arab land in the Palestinian territories Israel occupied after 1967. The JNF's reafforestation programme privileges pine over indigenous species, and, according to Ilan Pappé , the choice of planting a forest based on fast-growing species was dictated by considerations of rapidly hindering

1134-602: Is a type of low scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome . It is found on limestone soils in southern France and around the Mediterranean Basin , generally near the seacoast where the moderated Mediterranean climate provides annual summer drought . It is an anthropogenic degradation and succession form of former evergreen oak forests that existed until around 2500 years BCE. The term has also found its way into haute cuisine , suggestive of

1215-645: Is administered as part of the Jerusalem District of Israel, but is claimed by Palestine as part of the Jerusalem Governorate . It was annexed by Israel in 1980, but this annexation is not recognised by any other country. Of the 456,000 people in East Jerusalem, roughly 60% are Palestinians and 40% are Israelis. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) foreign relations are conducted by the minister of foreign affairs . The PNA

1296-440: Is inconsistent. Maquis shrubland is broadly similar to garrigue, but the vegetation is denser, being composed of numerous closely spaced shrubs. Maquis is associated with siliceous (acid) soils, unlike the relatively alkaline calcareous soils of the garrigue. Its plant communities are often suites associated with holm oak . Calcifuges such as Erica and Calluna are present in the maquis ecoregion . Deforestation of

1377-555: Is often extensive. It is associated with limestone and base rich soils, and calcium associated plants. Aside from dense thickets of kermes oak that punctuate the garrigue landscape, juniper and stunted holly oaks and holm oaks are the typical trees; aromatic lime-tolerant shrubs such as lavender , sage , rosemary , wild thyme and Artemisia are common garrigue plants. The aromatic oils and soluble monoterpenes of such herbs leached into garrigue soils from leaf litter have been connected with plant allelopathy , which asserts

1458-470: Is represented abroad by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which maintains a network of missions and embassies. In states that recognise the State of Palestine it maintains embassies and in other states it maintains "delegations" or "missions". Representations of foreign states to the Palestinian Authority are performed by "missions" or "offices" in Ramallah and Gaza . States that recognise

1539-548: Is the main obstacle in the talks. In a 25 Feb statement to local newspaper Felesteen , Hamas foreign relations chief Osama Hamdan accused the United States and Israel of blocking Palestinian reconciliation. The United States is putting pressure on the PA to not reconcile with Hamas until the latter recognizes the Quartet on the Middle East 's conditions, including the recognition of Israel, which Hamas rejects. After

1620-733: The State of Palestine , is the Fatah -controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank 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 ;

1701-592: The Fatah–Hamas conflict . It stated that a unity government should be formed within five weeks, ahead of a presidential and parliamentary election within six months. The Palestinian unity government of 2014 formed on 2 June 2014 as a national and political union under Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas . The European Union, the United Nations, the United States, China, India, Russia and Turkey all agreed to work with it. The Israeli government condemned

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1782-547: The Jerusalem corridor . Dayr Ayyub , also on the grounds of the park, had been partly destroyed during the fighting in 1948 and never rebuilt. In 1972, Bernard Bloomfield of Montreal , then President of JNF Canada, spearheaded a campaign among the Canadian Jewish community to raise $ 15 million ($ 80m in terms of 2010 values) for the park's establishment. The road leading to the park is named for John Diefenbaker ,

1863-602: The Oslo Accords . The PLC is an elected body of 132 representatives, which must confirm the Prime Minister upon nomination by the President, and which must approve all government cabinet positions proposed by the Prime Minister. The Judicial Branch has yet to be formalized. The President of the PA is directly elected by the people, and the holder of this position is also considered to be the commander-in-chief of

1944-785: The Palestinian enclaves in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for a period of five years, during which final-status negotiations would take place. The Palestinian Central Council , itself acting on behalf of the Palestine National Council of the PLO, implemented this agreement in a meeting convened in Tunis from 10 to 11 October 1993, making the Palestinian Authority accountable to the PLO Executive Committee . The administrative responsibilities accorded to

2025-533: The Palestinian people , representing them at the United Nations under the name " Palestine ". General elections were held for its first legislative body, the Palestinian Legislative Council , on 20 January 1996. The expiration of the body's term was 4 May 1999, but elections were not held because of the "prevailing coercive situation". On 7 July 2004, the Quartet of Middle East mediators informed Ahmed Qurei , Prime Minister of

2106-622: The Second ("Al-Aqsa") Intifada . In 2005, after the Second Intifada, Israel withdrew unilaterally from its settlements in the Gaza Strip , thereby expanding Palestinian Authority control to the entire strip while Israel continued to control the crossing points , airspace, and the waters of the Gaza Strip's coast. In the Palestinian legislative elections on 25 January 2006, Hamas emerged victorious and nominated Ismail Haniyeh as

2187-566: The West Bank on 23 December 2004. On 27 January 2005, the first round of the municipal elections took place in the Gaza Strip for officials in 10 local councils. Further rounds in the West Bank took place in May 2005. Elections for a new Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) were scheduled for July 2005 by Acting Palestinian Authority President Rawhi Fattuh in January 2005. These elections were postponed by Mahmoud Abbas after major changes to

2268-501: The garrigues region of France are said to produce wines with a "barnyard" or "earthy" tone, or "the herbal scent of lavender that fills the hills of Provence in the summer time." Some wines bottled in Southern France contain the word garrigues as part of their appellation or label name. Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian Authority , officially known as the Palestinian National Authority or

2349-493: The 'Palestine National Authority'. Additionally, on 17 December 2012, UN Chief of Protocol Yeocheol Yoon decided that "the designation of 'State of Palestine' shall be used by the Secretariat in all official United Nations documents". However, in a speech in 2016 president Abbas said that "The Palestinian Authority exists and it is here," and "The Palestinian Authority is one of our achievements and we won't give it up." On

2430-508: The 2014 agreement, US president Barack Obama said in April 2014 that President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to form a national unity government with Hamas was "unhelpful" and undermined the negotiations with Israel. Amin Maqboul, secretary-general of Fatah's Revolutionary Council, told Al-Monitor , "Hamas did not stick to the 2014 agreement, as it has yet to hand over the reins of power over Gaza to

2511-605: The Authority's Prime Minister. However, the national unity Palestinian government effectively collapsed, when a violent conflict between Hamas and Fatah erupted, mainly in the Gaza Strip. After the Gaza Strip was taken over by Hamas on 14 June 2007, the Authority's Chairman Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the Hamas-led unity government and appointed Salam Fayyad as prime minister , dismissing Haniyeh. The move wasn't recognized by Hamas, thus resulting in two separate administrations –

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2592-704: The Election Law were enacted by the PLC which required more time for the Palestinian Central Elections Committee to process and prepare. Among these changes were the expansion of the number of parliament seats from 88 to 132, with half of the seats to be competed for in 16 localities, and the other half to be elected in proportion to party votes from a nationwide pool of candidates. The following organizations, listed in alphabetic order, have taken part in recent popular elections inside

2673-574: The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and a rival Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. The reconciliation process to unite the Palestinian governments achieved some progress over the years, but had failed to produce a re-unification. The Palestinian Authority received financial assistance from the European Union and the United States (approximately US$ 1 billion combined in 2005). All direct aid

2754-497: The PA continues to claim the Gaza Strip, although Hamas exercises de facto control. Since January 2013, following United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19 , the Palestinian Authority has used the name "State of Palestine" on official documents, without prejudice to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) role as "representative of the Palestinian people". The Palestinian Authority

2835-488: The PA from 2003 to 2006, that they were "sick and tired" of the Palestinians failure to carry out promised reforms: "If security reforms are not done, there will be no (more) international support and no funding from the international community" On 18 July 2004, United States President George W. Bush stated that the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of 2005 was unlikely due to instability and violence in

2916-428: The PA were limited to civil matters and internal security and did not include external security or foreign affairs. Palestinians in the diaspora and inside Israel were not eligible to vote in elections for the offices of the Palestinian Authority. The PA was legally separate from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which continues to enjoy international recognition as the sole legitimate representative of

2997-482: The PA, declared that the PA will never recognize Israel: "We will never recognize the usurper Zionist government and will continue our jihad-like movement until the liberation of Jerusalem." In an attempt to resolve the financial and diplomatic impasse, the Hamas-led government together with Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas agreed to form a unity government . As a result, Haniyeh resigned on 15 February 2007 as part of

3078-469: The Palestinian Authority erected no actions during the conflict of Israel with Hamas. The reconciliation process between Fatah and Hamas reached intermediate results by the two governments, most notably the agreement in Cairo on 27 April 2011, but with no final solution. Though the two agreed to form a unity government, and to hold elections in both territories within 12 months of the establishment of such

3159-548: The Palestinian Authority were founded in 1995 to replace the 8 Israeli military districts of the Civil Administration : 11 governorates in the West Bank and 5 in the Gaza Strip. The governorates are not regulated in any official law of decree by the Palestinian Authority but they are regulated by Presidential decrees, mainly Presidential Decree No. 22 of 2003, regarding the powers of the governors. The regional governors ( Arabic : محافظ muhafiz ) are appointed by

3240-466: The Palestinian Authority. Following Arafat's death on 11 November 2004, Rawhi Fattouh , leader of the Palestinian Legislative Council became acting president of the Palestinian Authority as provided for in Article 54(2) of the Authority's Basic Law and Palestinian Elections Law. On 19 April 2005, Vladimir Putin the president of Russia agreed to aid the Palestinian Authority stating, "We support

3321-507: The Palestinian Authority. Area B forms 22% of the West Bank, and is under Palestinian civil control, and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control. Area C , except East Jerusalem , forms 60% of the West Bank, and is administered by the Israeli Civil Administration , except that the Palestinian Authority provides the education and medical services to the 150,000 Palestinians in the area. 70.3% of Area C (40.5% of

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3402-657: The Palestinian Authority: October 2006 polls showed that Fatah and Hamas had equal strength. On 14 June 2007, after the Battle of Gaza (2007) , Palestine president Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the Hamas-led government, leaving the government under his control for 30 days, after which the temporary government had to be approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council. The governorates ( Arabic : محافظات muhafazat ) of

3483-559: The Palestinian Cabinet announced that municipal elections would take place for the first time. Elections were announced for August 2004 in Jericho , followed by certain municipalities in the Gaza Strip . In July 2004 these elections were postponed. Issues with voter registration are said to have contributed to the delay. Municipal elections finally took place for council officials in Jericho and 25 other towns and villages in

3564-539: The President. They are in charge of the Palestinian police force in their jurisdiction as well as coordinating state services such as education, health and transportation. The governorates are under the direct supervision of the Interior Ministry . The governorates in the West Bank are grouped into three areas per the Oslo II Accord . Area A forms 18% of the West Bank by area, and is administered by

3645-565: The Strip to the Palestinian Authority but retained control of its borders including air and sea (except for the Egyptian border). This increased the percentage of land in the Gaza Strip nominally governed by the PA from 60 percent to 100 percent. Palestinian legislative elections took place on 25 January 2006. Hamas was victorious and Ismail Haniyeh was nominated as prime minister on 16 February 2006 and sworn in on 29 March 2006. However, when

3726-653: The UN, as well in negotiations with Israel. Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority stayed out of the Gaza War in 2008–2009, which followed the six-month truce , between Hamas and Israel which ended on 19 December 2008. Hamas claimed that Israel broke the truce on 4 November 2008, though Israel blamed Hamas for an increasing rocket fire directed at southern Israeli towns and cities. The 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict began on 27 December 2008 (11:30 a.m. local time; 09:30  UTC ). Though condemning Israel over attacks on Gaza,

3807-721: The West Bank) is off limit to Palestinian construction and development. These areas include areas under jurisdiction of Israeli settlements, closed military zones, nature reserves and national parks and areas designated by Israel as "state land". There are about 330,000 Israelis living in settlements in Area C, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank . Although Area C is under martial law , Israelis living there are judged in Israeli civil courts. a. Data from Jerusalem includes occupied East Jerusalem with its Israeli population East Jerusalem

3888-476: The West Bank-based Cabinet formed by Fayyad was the sole legitimate Palestinian government, and Egypt moved its embassy from Gaza to the West Bank. Hamas, which government has an effective control of the Gaza Strip since 2007, faces international diplomatic and economic isolation. In 2013, political analyst Hillel Frisch from Bar-Ilan University 's BESA Center, noted that "The PA is playing

3969-579: The West Bank. 61% of the West Bank remains under direct Israeli military and civilian control. East Jerusalem was unilaterally annexed by Israel in 1980, prior to the formation of the PA. Since 2007 Gaza has been governed by the Hamas Government in Gaza . The politics of the Palestinian Authority take place within the framework of a semi-presidential multi-party republic, with the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), an executive president , and

4050-558: The agreement. The unity government was finally formed on 18 March 2007 under Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and consisted of members from Hamas, Fatah and other parties and independents. The situation in the Gaza strip however quickly deteriorated into an open feud between the Hamas and Fatah, which eventually resulted in the Brothers' War . After the takeover in Gaza by Hamas on 14 June 2007, Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas dismissed

4131-475: The armed forces. In an amendment to the Basic Law approved in 2003, the president appoints the Prime Minister who is also chief of the security services in the Palestinian territories. The Prime Minister chooses a cabinet of ministers and runs the government, reporting directly to the President. Parliamentary elections were conducted in January 2006 after the passage of an overhauled election law that increased

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4212-531: The ceremony was attended by the US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro . After capturing the area in 1967 during the Six-Day War , Israel took over the Palestinian villages in the area, which were then razed on the orders of Israeli general Yitzhak Rabin , with 7,000–10,000 inhabitants expelled and 1,464 homes demolished. Imwas, Yalo and Bayt Nuba were demolished as part of strategic plans to widen

4293-450: The creation of a transitional government. In response to the announcement, Israeli prime minister Netanyahu warned that the Authority must choose whether it wants "peace with Israel or peace with Hamas". From the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1993 until the death of Yasser Arafat in late 2004, only one election had taken place. All other elections were deferred for various reasons. A single election for president and

4374-904: The decline of goat-pasturing. First cited in French in 1546, garrigue is borrowed from Provençal garriga, equivalent to Old French jarrie . The term is most likely related to Gascon carroc "rock" and to Germanic Swiss Karren , a kind of sedimentary rock . These words could derive from a supposed source such as *carra "rock," perhaps a remnant of a pre-Roman language and possibly akin to Basque *karr- , harri "rock." Gaulish and then Latin appear to have borrowed *carra , which evolved into its modern descendants in Romance languages . The dense, thrifty growth of garrigue flora has recommended many of its shrubs and sub-shrubs for uses as ornamental plants in traditional and drought tolerant gardens . Many shrubs and flowering perennials of

4455-424: The dominance of a plant over its neighbors, especially annuals , and contributes to the characteristic open spacing and restricted flora in a garrigue. The fines (charred wood and smoke residues, or charcoal dust) of periodic brush fires also have had an effect on the patterning and composition of the garrigues. Clear summer skies and intense solar radiation have induced the evolution of protective physiologies:

4536-503: The efforts of President Abbas to reform the security services and fight against terrorism [...] If we are waiting for President Abbas to fight terrorism, he cannot do it with the resources he has now. [...] We will give the Palestinian Authority technical help by sending equipment, training people. We will give the Palestinian Authority helicopters and also communication equipment." The Palestinian Authority became responsible for civil administration in some rural areas, as well as security in

4617-848: The familiar glaucous, grayish-green of garrigue landscapes is produced by the protective white hairs and light-diffusing, pebbled surfaces of many leaves typical of garrigue plants. Garrigue is a common general word for the shrubland habitat ecosystems in southern France along with maquis , which are known elsewhere in the Mediterranean region as matorral and tomillar in Spain, macchia in Italy, phrygana in Greece, garig in Croatia, and batha in Palestine or horesh in Israel . In California

4698-437: The first time, most ministries were headed by experts in their field as opposed to political appointees. The presidential mandate of Mahmoud Abbas expired in 2009 and he is no longer recognised by Hamas, among others, as the legitimate Palestinian leader. According to Palestinian documents leaked to the Al Jazeera news organization, the United States has threatened to cut off funding to the Palestinian Authority should there be

4779-417: The foot of one of the hills that overlooks the city of Modi'in is a large reservoir built by the Jewish National Fund for irrigating local fields. In the middle of the park is a forest planted to commemorate over 300 American and Canadian Jews who died in Israel's wars or were victims of terror. An annual memorial ceremony is organized by the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel (AACI). In 2011,

4860-421: The former Canadian prime minister, who opened it in 1975. The project was completed in 1984. The inhabitants were offered compensation but not allowed to return. The lands of the 3 villages were confiscated and declared a closed area, and only declared 'public land' to be developed for a recreational park two years later in 1969. The settlement of Mevo Horon was built on the lands of Bayt Nuba in 1970. Signage in

4941-439: The garrigue are mainstays of the English "mixed border" of herbaceous and woody plants found in English gardens , and around the world, though often grown under cooler, moister conditions. Some have become invasive species in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome's other ecoregions beyond the Mediterranean Basin on other continents, including the California chaparral and woodlands . Grapes that are grown in

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5022-448: The government and on 15 June 2007 appointed Salam Fayyad Prime Minister to form a new government. Though the new government's authority is claimed to extend to all Palestinian territories, in effect it became limited to the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of the West Bank , as Hamas hasn't recognized the move. The Fayyad government has won widespread international support. Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia said in late June 2007 that

5103-399: The government is still in force. On 7–8 February 2016, Fatah and Hamas held talks in Doha , Qatar in an attempt to implement the 2014 agreements. Hamas official told Al-Monitor on 8 March, that the talks did not succeed and that discussions continued between the two movements. He also said that the foreign pressures on the Palestinian Authority to not implement the reconciliation terms

5184-429: The indigenous oak forest since the Late Bronze Age , for cultivation of olives , vines and grain, the introduction of sheep and especially goats and charcoal-making for heat and iron-working, exposed the land surface to weathering and resulted in erosion of the topsoil. The wild garrigue, then, is a man-formed landscape. The intensity of grazing pressure has had a direct response in the ecotope , reflected today in

5265-436: The legislature took place in 1996. The next presidential and legislative elections were scheduled for 2001 but were delayed following the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada . Following Arafat's death, elections for the President of the Authority were announced for 9 January 2005. The PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas won 62.3% of the vote, while Dr. Mustafa Barghouti , a physician and independent candidate, won 19.8%. On 10 May 2004,

5346-421: The major cities of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip . Although the five-year interim period expired in 1999, the final status agreement has yet to be concluded despite attempts such as the 2000 Camp David Summit , the Taba Summit , and the unofficial Geneva Accords . In August 2005, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon began his disengagement from the Gaza Strip , ceding full effective internal control of

5427-422: The morning of 26 February 2024, the entire Palestinian government, including Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh , resigned from office, amid popular opposition to the Palestinian Authority and pressure from the United States during the Israel–Hamas war . The Palestinian Territories refers to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem). The Palestinian Authority currently administers some 39% of

5508-579: The national consensus government and continues to control the crossings. Should Hamas continue down this path, we have to go to the polls immediately and let the people choose who they want to rule". The UN has permitted the PLO to title its representative office to the UN as "The Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations", and Palestine has started to re-title its name accordingly on postal stamps, official documents and passports, whilst it has instructed its diplomats to officially represent 'The State of Palestine', as opposed to

5589-442: The number of seats from 88 to 132. The Chairman of the PLO, Yasser Arafat , was elected as President of PA in a landslide victory at the general election in 1996. Arafat's administration was criticized for its lack of democracy, widespread corruption among officials, and the division of power among families and numerous governmental agencies with overlapping functions. Both Israel and the US declared they lost trust in Arafat as

5670-438: The park include olive , carob , pomegranate , pine and almond . The area is also home to a range of wildlife from lizards and turtles to gray ravens and blue jays . Historical ruins on the grounds of the park include a Roman bathhouse , a Hasmonean Jewish cemetery , and a Crusader fortress ( Castellum Arnaldi ). Two Second Temple period mikvehs , a type of Jewish ritual bath, were also discovered there. At

5751-522: The park indicates that it falls under the Department of Archaeology, Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria, Judea and Samaria being the Israeli terms for the West Bank. In 1976, Palestinian residents of Imwas, Yalo and Beit Nouba wrote to the Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin asking for what they described as their "legitimate humanitarian right to return to the villages from which we were driven and expelled" in order to rebuild their houses without requesting compensation from Israel. They did not receive

5832-440: The resinous flavours of a garrigue shrubland . UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre described garrigue as "discontinuous bushy associations of the Mediterranean calcareous plateaus , which have relatively alkaline soils . It is often composed of kermes oak , lavender , thyme , and white cistus . There may be a few isolated trees." Garrigue is discontinuous with widely spaced bush associations with open spaces, and

5913-455: The simmering Syrian civil war . Since late August 2012, Palestinian National Authority has been swept with social protests aiming against the cost of living. The protesters targeted the Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad, calling for his resignation. Some anti-government protests turned violent. On 11 September, Palestinian prime minister issued a decree on lowering the fuel prices and cutting salaries of top officials. In July 2012, it

5994-669: The speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council , to be the acting president until new elections can be held. The State of Palestine is recognized by 146 nations as of June 2024 . In November 2012, the United Nations voted to recognize the State of Palestine as a non-member UN observer state . Widely considered an authoritarian regime , the Palestinian Authority has not held elections in over 15 years. It has been criticized for human rights abuses, including cracking down on journalists , human rights activists , and dissent against its rule. The Palestinian Authority

6075-652: The territories, including Israeli settlements , the Jordan Valley region and bypass roads between Palestinian communities, were to remain under Israeli control (" Area C "). East Jerusalem was excluded from the Accords. Negotiations with several Israeli governments had resulted in the Authority gaining further control of some areas, but control was then lost in some areas when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) retook several strategic positions during

6156-411: The unity government because it views Hamas as a terrorist organization. The Palestinian unity government first convened in Gaza on 9 October 2014 to discuss the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict . On 30 November 2014, Hamas declared that the unity government had ended with the expiration of the six-month term. But Fatah subsequently denied the claim, and said that

6237-585: Was created by the Gaza–Jericho Agreement , pursuant to the 1993 Oslo Accords . The Gaza–Jericho Agreement was signed on 4 May 1994 and included Israeli withdrawal from the Jericho area and partially from the Gaza Strip, and detailed the creation of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Civil Police Force . The PA was envisioned as an interim organization to administer a limited form of Palestinian self-governance in

6318-631: Was formally announced in Cairo, and was co-ordinated under the mediation of Egypt's new intelligence director Murad Muwafi . The deal came amidst an international campaign for statehood advanced by the Abbas administration, which is expected to culminate in a request for admission into the General Assembly as a member state in September. As part of the deal, the two factions agreed to hold elections in both territories within twelve months of

6399-616: Was formed on 4 May 1994, pursuant to the Gaza–Jericho Agreement between the PLO and the government of Israel , and was intended to be a five-year interim body . Further negotiations were then meant to take place between the two parties regarding its final status. According to the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority was designated to have exclusive control over both security-related and civilian issues in Palestinian urban areas (referred to as " Area A ") and only civilian control over Palestinian rural areas (" Area B "). The remainder of

6480-476: Was reported that Hamas Government in Gaza was considering to declare the independence of the Gaza Strip with the help of Egypt. On 23 April 2014 Ismail Haniyeh , the prime minister of Hamas, and a senior Palestine Liberation Organisation delegation dispatched by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas signed the Fatah–Hamas Gaza Agreement at Gaza City in an attempt to create reconciliation in

6561-521: Was suspended on 7 April 2006, as a result of the Hamas victory in parliamentary elections. Shortly thereafter, aid payments resumed, but were channeled directly to the offices of Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. Since 9 January 2009, when Mahmoud Abbas' term as president was supposed to have ended and elections were to have been called, Hamas supporters and many in the Gaza Strip have withdrawn recognition for his presidency and instead consider Aziz Dweik ,

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