The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was the interim government of Palestine created in 1994 as a result of the 1993 Oslo Accords and disestablished on 3 January 2013 after a transition decree by President Mahmoud Abbas, founding the state of Palestine.
History[]
Map of the Palestinian territories
In 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) chairman Yasser Arafat met in Oslo, Norway to discuss a roadmap for peace in Palestine, which was the site of the Arab-Israeli Conflict since 1948. In 1994, as a result of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian National Authority was created to replace the Israeli Civil Administration. The new goverment of Palestine was to be an interim self-government body, and Yasser Arafat was its president from 1994 until his death in 2004. The PNA's claimed capital was East Jerusalem, while Ramallah was the de facto capital.
The Palestinian National Authority's political leadership was primarily the Fatah branch of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and the PNA trained the National Security Forces (NSF) to keep security in the country. However, Fatah continued to be a terrorist group, and they praised several suicide bombings against Israelis. On 28 September 2000, the Second Intifada was declared against Israel in response to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount. The PNA's PLO, Fatah (including the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) took part in the intifada against Israel. 3,354 Palestinians and 1,010 Israelis were killed in the intifada, with the Palestinians using suicide bombings and gunfire against the Israelis and the Israelis using tanks, gunfire, air attacks, harsh reactions on demonstrators, and targeted killings against the Palestinians. The intifada lasted until 8 February 2005 at the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit, when Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas agreed with Ariel Sharon to stabilize the region and continue with the roadmap for peace.
In 2006, relations were further undermined after the PRC and Hamas claimed joint responsibility for the killing of two Israeli soldiers and the capture of Gilaad Shalit, an IDF soldier. In response, Israel launched Operation Summer Rains in the Gaza Strip, killing 402 out of 9,000 Fatah/Tanzim, Hamas, PRC, and PIJ militants from 28 June to 26 November. Israel also invaded Gaza in 2009 in the "Gaza War", where they managed to defeat Hamas temporarily.
Relations were further damaged after 12 PRC members launched a cross-border raid from Egypt into Israel on 18 August 2011, and as a result, Israel began a series of air raids on the Gaza Strip against the PRC commanders. PRC leaders Kamal al-Nairab and Immad Hammad were killed from 18-19 August 2011, and 14 PRC members were killed. In addition, an Israeli airstrike killed Nairab's successor Zuhir al-Qaisi on 9 March 2012. Palestine responded with rocket attacks against Israel, and from 14 to 21 November 2012, Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defense in the Gaza Strip. With their Iron Dome program, Israel was able to shoot down several Hamas missiles that were headed to civilian centers, and 75,000 IDF troops invaded the Gaza Strip. 10,000 PNA security troops, 10,000 Hamas troops, and 8,000 PIJ militants fought against the Israelis, but 120 Palestinian combatants were killed (only 2 Israelis were killed). Israel severely impaired Hamas' launching capabilities with their operation, and Gaza fishermen were allowed 6 nautical miles out to sea for fishing until 22 March 2013, when it was reduced to 3 miles.
Strained relations between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist groups led to strained relations with the PNA government, and the Israel-Palestine conflict was subject to international debate. The PNA leader Mahmoud Abbas declared the PNA as the "State of Palestine" on 3 January 2013, and the country became semi-independent.