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80-784: The prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority was the position of the official head of government of the Palestinian Authority government , which operated between 2003 and January 2013, when it was officially transformed into the State of Palestine . Some still refer to the position of the prime minister of the Gaza Strip as the prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority . The Prime Minister's Office
160-499: A broader sense, a head of government can be used loosely when referring to various comparable positions under a dominant head of state (especially is the case of ancient or feudal eras, so the term "head of government", in this case, could be considered a contradiction in terms). In this case, the prime minister serves at the pleasure of the monarch and holds no more power than the monarch allows. Some such titles are diwan, mahamantri , pradhan , wasir or vizier . However, just because
240-621: A caretaker basis. On 12 November 2003, the caretaker government was replaced by Qurei's 2003 government , which was confirmed by the PLC. Hakam Balawi , described as an Arafat "loyalist", was appointed Interior Minister, with control of the security forces. After Arafat's death in November 2004 and Mahmoud Abbas' subsequent victory in the Palestinian presidential election in January 2005 , which
320-423: A constitution. In presidential republics or in absolute monarchies , the head of state is also usually the head of government. The relationship between that leader and the government, however, can vary greatly, ranging from separation of powers to autocracy , according to the constitution (or other basic laws) of the particular state. In semi-presidential systems , the head of government may answer to both
400-517: A fraction of the total cases of human rights abuses in Palestine was represented in the report. In 2015, at least 33 peaceful protests were allegedly crushed in the West Bank. In September 2015, security forces dispersed a march of protesters who demonstrated against excessive use of force by PA security forces against demonstrators. Security cooperation between Israel and Palestine involves
480-422: A head of government is Prime Minister . This is used as a formal title in many states, but may also be an informal generic term to refer to whichever office is considered the principal minister under an otherwise styled head of state , as minister — Latin for servants or subordinates—is a common title for members of a government (but many other titles are in use, e.g. chancellor and secretary of state). Formally
560-440: A head of government, such as a president, chancellor, or prime minister, and the relationship between that position and other state institutions, such as the relation between the head of state and of the legislature, varies greatly among sovereign states, depending largely on the particular system of the government that has been chosen, won, or evolved over time. In most parliamentary systems , including constitutional monarchies ,
640-533: A standoff over the division between them of security powers, essentially the issue of control of the Palestinian Security Services, which was the same issue that led to Abbas's resignation. Another issue was Arafat's opposition to Qurie's nomination of General Nasser Yousef as Interior Minister who would control the security forces. On 4 November, as the term of the emergency government was about to expire, they agreed for Qurei to stay on on
720-516: A wave of denunciations from Palestinian factions that are strongly opposed to security coordination with Israel. A spokesman of Hamas said that the PA security forces played a role in serving the security of the occupation and combating the Palestinian intifada, and that “Protecting the security of the occupation has become part of the ideology of the Palestinian security forces”. Fatah's military wing,
800-758: Is alleged that the increased personalisation of leadership in a number of states has led to heads of government becoming themselves "semi-presidential" figures, due in part to media coverage of politics that focuses on the leader and his or her mandate, rather than on parliament; and to the increasing centralisation of power in the hands of the head of government. Such allegations have been made against three former British Prime ministers: Margaret Thatcher , Tony Blair , and Boris Johnson . They were also made against Italian prime ministers Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Renzi , Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau and Federal Chancellor of West Germany (later all of Germany), Helmut Kohl , when in power. The head of government
880-493: Is appointed by the president of the Palestinian National Authority and not directly elected by the Palestinian Legislative Council or Palestinian voters. The president can dismiss the prime minister at any time. The Basic Law requires that a new prime minister and his government are presented to the Palestinian Legislative Council for approval or confirmation. In the event of a vacancy in the office,
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#1732782450623960-562: Is demilitarised.″ Article XII of the Oslo II Accord states: Article II of Annex I stipulates: The Annex allows a security force limited to six branches: Following the Oslo Accords in 1993, the number of separate Palestinian security forces , all under the exclusive control of President Arafat, had grown considerably. Based on the 1994 Cairo Agreement , "a strong police force" was formed which steadily grew far beyond
1040-466: Is often provided with an official residence , often in the same fashion as heads of state often are. The name of the residence is often used as a metonym or alternative title for 'the government' when the office is politically the highest, e.g. in the UK "Downing Street announced today…" Well-known official residences of heads of government include: Similarly, heads of government of federal entities below
1120-557: Is seen as part of the internal oppression system, as well as maintaining the crumbling Fatah movement’s hegemony and the status quo with Israel. Some 65,000 of the PA’s civil servants (41%) were registered as defense workers; 34,000 were not Hamas government employees in Gaza. As of November 2014, there were about 17,000 military employees in Gaza, including policemen, who were hired by Hamas since June 2007. They were still considered illegitimate by
1200-693: The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades , on the contrary, defended the Intelligence chief. Palestinian security forces have often been criticized for suppressing their own people and crushing the resistance to the Israeli occupation. They targeted the armed resistance as well as political opposition and protesters. Hamas supporters were targeted, as well as Fatah members. In 2008, the head of the Palestinian Civil Police presented
1280-698: The General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party ( top leader in a one-party system) has always held this office since 1993 except for the months of transition . In directorial systems , the executive responsibilities of the head of government are spread among a group of people. A prominent example is the Swiss Federal Council , where each member of the council heads a department and also votes on proposals relating to all departments. The most common title for
1360-594: The Palestinian Preventive Security Service . On 22 April, Abbas retired head of the Gaza national security forces Moussa Arafat and replaced him with Suleiman Heles ; head of the Gaza General Intelligence Amin al-Hindi was replaced by Tareq Abu Rajab . Alaa Husni was appointed head of the Palestinian police, while a further 1,150 Palestinian security officials were also retired. From September 2005,
1440-469: The Palestinian unity government of 2014 and therefore not paid. As of January 2005, the number of Palestinian Authority security forces was, according to Associated Press , about 30,000. The division was as follows: The 2003 Amended Basic Law (Article 84) states: "The Security Forces and the Police are regular forces. They are the armed forces in the country. Their functions are limited to defending
1520-575: The Unity Government formed on 17 March 2007 , which was approved by the PLC. After the Hamas takeover of Gaza , the government was dismissed by President Abbas on 14 June 2007. Abbas declared a state of emergency and on 15 June appointed an emergency caretaker government led by Salam Fayyad and suspended articles of the Basic Law to dispense with the needed PLC approval. On 13 July 2007,
1600-421: The executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state , a federated state , or a self-governing colony , autonomous region , or other government who often presides over a cabinet , a group of ministers or secretaries who lead executive departments. In diplomacy , "head of government" is differentiated from " head of state ". The authority of
1680-581: The 2003 Roadmap for peace , Arafat started to reorganise the PSS. On 30 April 2003, Arafat issued a presidential decree calling for the establishment of a National Security Council (NSC) to oversee the PNA's security services. It was the result of a power struggle between Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and President Arafat, and international – mainly American – pressure. Abbas would become acting Interior Minister in his new government . On 11 September, Arafat announced
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#17327824506231760-487: The 2004 decree of his predecessor Arafat. On 4 June 2005, Abbas promulgated the "Law of Service in the Palestinian Security Forces No. 8 of 2005" . The three branches were: Nasser Yousef was named head of the three branches. With the reform, Yousef‘s responsibilities, who was appointed Interior Minister two months earlier, were considerably expanded. Rashid Abu Shbak was named the new head of
1840-461: The Gaza Strip, called Executive Force, which was made up of members of its own military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades . On 20 April, Interior Minister Said Seyam appointed Jamal Abu Samhadana , the head of the militant Popular Resistance Committees , Director General of Executive Force. Hamas sought to include members of all the resistance branches (and thereby gain at least some control over
1920-649: The Gaza Strip. The outgoing Interior Minister Nasser Yousef denied the reports. On 6 April 2006, one week after Hamas had formed government, Abbas appointed the Fatah-affiliated Rashid Abu Shbak head of the three security agencies, including the Preventive Security , Civil Police and Civil Defence (Public Security). Abu Shbak said he was authorized to hire and fire officers in the three security branches. Though Seyam would technically be Abu Shbak's boss, any dispute between
2000-636: The Gazan airport, there was also a small Aerial Police. Police tasks are performed by the Civil Police Force , known as the Blue Police for its uniform color. Additionally, there are some other small civil forces. The Preventive Security Force is a large unit of the PA's intelligence. The intelligence division is divided into General Intelligence, Military Intelligence (Istikhbarat) and Military Police Intelligence. A February 2016 report of
2080-557: The Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor) documented 1,274 arbitrary detentions in the West Bank in 2015 and 1,089 summonses by the Palestinian Security Services. The human rights violations targeted mostly individuals affiliated with Hamas or who opposed PA policies, including about 35 journalists and human rights activists, 476 university students, and 67 teachers/professors. Twenty-seven percent of
2160-985: The NSC was headed by the President and the Prime Minister. Other members were the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Department (NAD), the Secretary General of the Presidency, the Interior Minister, the Minister of Civil Affairs, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Advisor. On 12 July 2005, Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei established a Judicial Police Force under
2240-507: The Oslo Accords had effectively turned the PA into a ″security sub-contractor″, and ″the job of the Palestinian security forces is to enforce the occupation on Israel’s behalf″. On numerous occasions, President Abbas has threatened to end the security cooperation to show firmness to end the Israeli occupation, however without ever taking concrete steps. In October 2014, Israeli journalist Khaled Abu Toameh calculated that Abbas had used
2320-880: The Palestinian police even for the first time evicted Israeli Border Police who had raided Beitunia , a suburb of Ramallah in Area A, which formally is under exclusive security control by the Palestinians. Nevertheless, commander of the Palestinian Intelligence in the West Bank Majid Faraj [ ar ; he ] revealed in January 2016, that the Security Forces since October 2015 had prevented some 200 "terrorist attacks" against Israel and arrested about 100 Palestinians on suspicion of planning attacks against Israelis. It triggered
2400-507: The Palestinian side to stop violent attacks by various Palestinian militant groups, which Arafat refused to do. Abbas resigned as Prime Minister on 6 September 2003, citing lack of support from Israel and the United States as well as "internal incitement" against his government. Abbas was followed in the office by Ahmed Qurei , who as Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council became acting prime minister. Arafat nominated Qurei for
2480-499: The Palestinian state would always be demilitarized. Israeli negotiators demanded to keep Israeli troops in the West Bank, to maintain control of Palestinian airspace, and to dictate exactly what weapons could and could not be purchased by the Palestinian security forces. In June 2009 at Bar-Ilan University , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: ″We cannot be expected to agree to a Palestinian state without ensuring that it
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2560-721: The Public Prosecution's Attorney-General already existed in 1995 since the Oslo Accords. Hamas won the parliamentary elections of January 2006 and formed a Hamas-led government in March , leading to a power struggle over the security services with the Fatah Abbas presidency. It appears, President Abbas tried to remove the Fatah-dominated security organizations from the control of the Government, and, with
2640-466: The Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council becomes acting prime minister. If an emergency government is formed by presidential decree, it is only valid for thirty days. The president can nominate a caretaker prime minister, pending the formation of a new government. Prime ministers appointed on an acting, caretaker or emergency basis do not need to obtain approval or confirmation of the PLC. Unlike
2720-485: The agreed numbers, to include soldiers and returnees from the diaspora. By 1996, the PA had more than 35,000 security officers on its payroll. Arafat ruled the forces in an authoritarian divide-to-rule manner, not devoid of corruption and nepotism. During the Second Intifada , in 2002, the Israeli army virtually completely destroyed the infrastructure of the Palestinian security, leaving a security vacuum that
2800-834: The arrests and summons, while violating Human Rights, were carried out by the Preventive Security Force and the General Intelligence. Sometimes, the forces used live bullets to intimidate Palestinians. The forces often did not comply with court orders for the release of detainees. Security forces were also accused of seizing personal belongings and property of arrested persons. Four Palestinians were taken hostage to force members of their families to hand themselves in. Security forces even charged Palestinians held in Israeli prisons; judges considered them fugitives for failing to appear in court, while being held in Israeli jails. The AOHR-UK report stressed that only
2880-508: The arrests lasted for a month or more. As the most serious violations were mentioned the refusal to implement court rulings ordering the release or acquittal of detainees. Medical reports confirmed the systematic practice of torture in Palestinian Authority jails in the West Bank. The number of human rights violations committed by PA authorities in the West Bank was significantly greater than the similar violations for which Hamas
2960-417: The basis of the strength of party support in the lower house; in some other states, the head of government is directly elected by parliament. Many parliamentary systems require ministers to serve in parliament, while others ban ministers from sitting in parliament (they must resign on becoming ministers). Heads of government are typically removed from power in a parliamentary system by Constitutions differ in
3040-595: The civil police , the Presidential Guard and the national security forces . The President of the Palestinian National Authority is Commander-in-Chief of the Palestinian Forces. One in 16 West Bank Palestinians work for these branches, making the area one of the most policed populations in the world. Both their training and funding are mainly provided by the United States and Israel. The Palestinian Authority spends more on its security than
3120-409: The collegial Government , whose members are all appointed and dismissed at the Prime Minister's sole discretion. Under the unwritten British constitution , the prime minister 's role has evolved, based often on the individual's personal appeal and strength of character, as contrasted between, for example, Winston Churchill as against Clement Attlee , Margaret Thatcher as against John Major . It
3200-469: The combined budgetry disbursements it makes for education and health services . The State of Palestine has no land army, nor an air force or a navy. The Palestinian Security Services (PSS, not to confuse with Preventive Security Service ) do not dispose over heavy weapons and advanced military equipment like tanks. In the Israeli–Palestinian peace process , Israel has consistently demanded that
3280-410: The controversial nomination of Moussa Arafat, but the latter remained head of the general security branch in the Gaza Strip. After his election as President of the Palestinian National Authority in January 2005, Mahmoud Abbas continued the reform of the security services. On 14 April 2005, Abbas confirmed that the previous 12 security divisions were to be merged into three branches, in accordance with
Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-592: The cooperation, critics say that the agreement was very much focused on creating a structure which would primarily ensure the security of Israel. Leaked documents in the Palestine Papers revealed that the PA was willing to go as far as to kill its own people in order to prove that it was establishing law and order in territories under its control. Mazin Qumsiyeh, a civil society leader in Bethlehem, said
3440-424: The country, serving the people, protecting society and maintaining public order, security and public morals." The National Security Forces and the Presidential Guard are the PA's paramilitary forces, to some extent resembling an army. Before the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip , the PA maintained a small Coast Guard, using 5 motorboats equipped with machine guns along the Gazan seacoast. Before Israel destroyed
3520-440: The dismissal, and claimed to still be the legitimate government of the Palestinian Authority. The basis of the challenge was that under the Basic Law, the president may dismiss a sitting prime minister, but may not appoint a replacement without the approval of the PLC (which was controlled by Hamas), and that until a new prime minister is properly appointed, the outgoing prime minister heads a caretaker government. The prime minister
3600-407: The formation of the 14-member Council that would supervise all the security organs, with him as chairman. Like his predecessor, the newly appointed Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei disagreed with Arafat about the appointment of the Interior Minister. On 8 November 2003, Prime Minister Qurei and President Arafat, after having resolved disputes over the choice of the new Interior Minister, agreed to divide
3680-456: The government and provides (e.g. by turns) the ceremonial Head of state. The only state in which this system is currently employed is Switzerland but other countries such as Uruguay have employed it in the past . This system is described as the directorial system . See Head of state for further explanation of these cases. In parliamentary systems, government functions along the following lines: All of these requirements directly impact
3760-557: The groups). The first men were deployed on 17 May 2006. However, on 8 June 2006, Abu Samhadana, as leader of the PRC, was assassinated by Israeli forces. In January 2007, Abbas outlawed the Interior Ministry's Executive Force. The Ministry resisted Abbas' order that by then 6,000 members of Executive Force be incorporated into the security apparatus loyal to the president's Fatah movement. Instead, Hamas announced plans to double
3840-429: The head of government is the de facto political leader of the government, and is answerable to at least one chamber of the legislature. Although there is often a formal reporting relationship to a head of state , the latter usually acts as a figurehead who may take the role of chief executive on limited occasions, either when receiving constitutional advice from the head of government or under specific provisions in
3920-453: The head of government's role. Consequently, they often play a 'day to day' role in parliament, answering questions and defending the government on the 'floor of the House', while in semi-presidential systems they may not be required to play as much of a role in the functioning of parliament. In many countries, the head of government is commissioned by the head of state to form a government, on
4000-493: The head of state and the legislature with the specifics provided by each country's constitution. A modern example is the present French government, which originated as the French Fifth Republic in 1958. In France, the president , the head of state, appoints the prime minister , who is the head of government. However, the president must choose someone who can act effectively as an executive, but who also enjoys
4080-477: The head of state can also be the head of government as well ( ex officio or by ad hoc cumulation, such as a ruling monarch exercising all powers himself) but otherwise has formal precedence over the head of government and other ministers, whether he is their actual political superior (ruling monarch, executive president) or rather theoretical or ceremonial in character (constitutional monarch, non-executive president). Various constitutions use different titles, and even
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#17327824506234160-411: The head of state is a figurehead whilst the head of the government leads the ruling party. In some cases a head of government may even pass on the title in hereditary fashion. Such titles include the following: In some models the head of state and head of government are one and the same. These include: An alternative formula is a single chief political body (e.g., presidium ) which collectively leads
4240-434: The head of state is the de jure dominant position does not mean that he/she will not always be the de facto political leader. A skilled head of government like 19th-century German statesman Otto von Bismarck , Minister President of Prussia and later Chancellor of Germany under Emperor / King Wilhelm I , serves as an example showing that possession of formal powers does not equal political influence. In some cases,
4320-405: The head of state, such as a governor-general , may well be housed in a grander, palace-type residence. However, this is not the case when both positions are combined into one: Palestinian Security Services The Palestinian Security Services ( PSS ) are the armed forces and intelligence agencies of the State of Palestine . They comprise twelve branches, notably the Security Forces,
4400-426: The level of the sovereign state (often without an actual head of state, at least under international law) may also be given an official residence, sometimes used as an opportunity to display aspirations of statehood: Usually, the residence of the heads of government is not as prestigious and grand as that of the head of state, even if the head of state only performs ceremonial duties. Even the formal representative of
4480-709: The new Interior Minister in Qurei's Government , which was approved on 12 November 2003. However, the National Security Council remained aineffective, as Arafat continued to control the security branches directly. Again under international pressure, on 17 July 2004 Arafat announced further changes to the PSS, reducing the eight separate security divisions to three branches, after 6 people were kidnapped in Gaza. The three branches were: National Security Forces , Internal Security Forces and General Intelligence. Arafat nominated three close relatives as heads of
4560-403: The new branches, including his nephew Moussa Arafat , who was already head of the general security branch in the Gaza Strip. It fueled protests and internal clashes between rival sections of the security forces staffed by members of Arafat's party Fatah. The already existing protests were widely seen as a power struggle ahead of Israel's announced disengagement from Gaza . Yasser Arafat withdrew
4640-425: The post of Prime Minister, who agreed to form an "emergency government" on 10 September. The next day, Qurei decided to form a full government rather than a trimmed one. Arafat appointed Qurei Prime Minister on 5 October 2003 by presidential decree, and Qurei's eight-member emergency government was sworn in on 9 October. The Fatah dominated PLC refused to a vote of confidence in the government. Arafat and Qurei were in
4720-476: The practical reality for the Prime Minister of Belgium and the Prime Minister of Finland . Other states however, make their head of government a central and dominant figure within the cabinet system; Ireland's Taoiseach , for example, alone can decide when to seek a parliamentary dissolution, in contrast to other countries where this is a cabinet decision, with the Prime Minister just one member voting on
4800-615: The prime minister's office in many other nations, the Palestinian prime minister is not required to be a member of the legislature while in office. Instead, the nomination is made independently by the president, taking into account the political situation at the time. Following the international sanctions against the government led by Hamas , which was designated a terrorist organisation by several countries between 2006 and 2007, Abbas instead appointed experts as prime ministers since 2007, who are considered rather independent from party interests by observers. Head of government In
4880-530: The prime minister, along with the cabinet, controls domestic policy, with the president's influence largely restricted to foreign affairs. In communist states , the General Secretary of the Communist Party is the supreme leader, serving as de facto head of state and government. In China , the de jure head of government is the Premier . The Chinese president is legally a ceremonial office , but
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#17327824506234960-407: The range and scope of powers granted to the head of government. Some older constitutions; for example, Australia's 1900 text , and Belgium's 1830 text ; do not mention their prime ministerial offices at all, the offices became a de facto political reality without a formal constitutional status. Some constitutions make a Prime Minister primus inter pares ( first among equals ) and that remains
5040-460: The request of President Abbas remained as interim prime minister until 19 February 2006. Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas was nominated Prime Minister on 16 February 2006 and the new government was formally presented to Abbas on 20 February and the government led by Haniyeh was sworn in on 29 March 2006. A struggle for power between President Abbas and the new government emerged over the security services . Abbas made Fatah-affiliated Rashid Abu Shbak head of
5120-496: The responsibility of the Minister of Interior and National Security (at the time Nasser Yousef). The new force was part of the Civil Police Force and its tasks were inter alia described as: implement decisions of the courts and the Public Prosecution; protect the buildings housing the courts, the judges and the Public Prosecution; and transport and protect persons held in custody and convicts. A Judicial Police subject to
5200-406: The same title can have various multiple meanings, depending on the constitutional order and political system of the state in question. In addition to prime minister, titles used for the democratic model, where there is an elected legislative body checking the head of government, include the following. Some of these titles relate to governments below the national level (e.g. states or provinces). In
5280-523: The security responsibilities between the government and the National Security Council. The NSC (headed by Arafat) became responsible for security affairs, while the Interior Minister would be in charge of non-security administrative and civilian affairs. Qurei was also a member of the NSC along with the Finance Minister Salam Fayyad and the heads of the security agencies. Eventually, Arafat's close associate Hakam Balawi became
5360-464: The sharing of intelligence between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli army. The cooperation originates from the Oslo Accords . A Palestinian Civil Police Force was established pursuant to Oslo II, Article XII, a "Joint Coordination and Cooperation Committee for Mutual Security Purposes", "to guarantee public order and internal security for the Palestinians of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip". While Israeli security officials regularly praised
5440-556: The size of its force to 12,000 men. Executive Force, as well as Hamas' armed wing Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades , took part in the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007. On 18 June 2007, Abbas dissolved the Hamas-led PA Government and the National Security Council. In 2013, the PA's security budget was almost $ 1 billion, comprising 28 percent of the total budget. The large defense budget has been criticized because it
5520-479: The state of emergency expired in accordance with the Basic Law, and President Abbas issued a new decree to continue the state of emergency. The Fayyad government continued functioning as a caretaker government. On 22 July 2007, Prime Minister Fayyad presented his government for PLC approval. As the quorum requirement could not be met, as Hamas members were boycotting the PLC, the approval was given in "extraordinary" session. Meanwhile, Haniyeh and Hamas refused to accept
5600-558: The suggestion. In Israel , while the Government is nominally a collegiate body with a primus inter pares role for the Prime Minister , the Israeli Prime Minister is the dominant figure in the executive branch in practice. The Prime Minister of Sweden , under the 1974 Instrument of Government , is a constitutional office with all key executive powers either directly at his or her disposal or indirectly through
5680-636: The support of France's legislature, the National Assembly , to be able to pass legislation. In some cases, the head of state may represent one political party but the majority in the National Assembly is of a different party. Given that the majority party has greater control over state funding and primary legislation , the president is in effect forced to choose a prime minister from the opposition party to ensure an effective, functioning legislature. In this case, known as cohabitation ,
5760-400: The support of Western governments, restore the old structure of the security sector as it had existed under Arafat. In March 2006, Said Seyam (member of Hamas ) became the new PA Interior Minister , replacing Nasser Yousef . However, already on 20 February media reported that President Abbas had named the Fatah-affiliated Rashid Abu Shbak head of the internal security in the West Bank and
5840-542: The threat 58 times. In May 2014, Abbas declared that the security cooperation with Israel is sacred. In March 2015, the PLO Central Council formally decided to end the security coordination, but eventually, the decision was not implemented. Since the new uprising that begun in October 2015 the Palestinian police seemed to show less willingness to suppress protests against the occupation. In December 2015,
5920-782: The three branches of the Palestinian Security Services , with authority to hire and fire officers in the three security branches, bypassing the authority of the Hamas Interior Minister Said Seyam . Abbas also ordered all diplomatic statements and dealings be coordinated with the Fatah-dominated Palestine Liberation Organization , and not the Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar . Haniyeh also led
6000-635: The two would be resolved in the Abbas-headed National Security Council. Also, in April 2006, Abbas created under his own control a new Public Administration for the crossing points and borders. The Presidential Guard was expanded and provided with rapid-intervention capabilities. After President Abbas took direct control of the PA security forces, the Hamas government formed its own 3,000 strong paramilitary police force in
6080-550: Was Mahmoud Abbas . He was nominated on 19 March 2003 by President Arafat. On 29 April, the Palestinian Legislative Council approved the appointment and his government . Abbas's short term was marked by a power struggle with Arafat over control of the Palestinian Security Services , with Arafat refusing to relinquish control to Abbas. The issue was critical because the Roadmap for peace plan required
6160-523: Was boycotted by Hamas , Qurei was asked to continue in his post and form a new government, which took place on 24 February 2005. On 15 December 2005, Qurei resigned, and Nabil Shaath , the Deputy Prime Minister, became Acting Prime Minister. He lost the position nine days later when Qurei returned to office. Hamas decisively won the PLC election held on 25 January 2006 . Qurei resigned, but at
6240-423: Was created in 2003 to manage day-to-day activities of the Palestinian government, which had previously been performed by Yasser Arafat . The position was created because both Israel and the United States refused to negotiate directly with Arafat. The executive structure of the government lies under the president of the Palestinian National Authority . The first prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority
6320-831: Was responsible in Gaza. In both, West Bank and Gaza people were arrested or summoned for posting or liking messages on social media, primarily on Facebook, critical of respectively the PA or Hamas. In March 2016, the London-based Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR-UK) reported that in 2015, PA security forces in the West Bank arbitrarily arrested or summoned 1,715 civilians. They included students, journalists, women and children. Nearly 1,000 detainees were Palestinians who were previously released from Israeli jails. The report stated that 37 detainees were tortured, some held in solitary confinement for several months. Eleven Palestinians were even held in administrative detention (without charge). The bulk of
6400-441: Was soon filled by armed groups. By 2006, some 70% of the Palestinians trusted non-PA forces, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, more than the PA security forces. In 2002, Arafat created the post of Interior Minister with responsibility for public order and internal security, including authority over the security organizations Preventive Security, Civil Police and Civil Defence. Under Israeli and international pressure, based on
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