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The Palestinian Authority (PA)

News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 22-28, 2021)

Terrorist attacks: This past week a vehicular ramming attack in northern Samaria and two shooting attacks, one near al-Bireh and the other near Nablus, targeted Israeli security forces. No casualties were reported. However, relative calm continues in the Gaza Strip, accompanied by threats from Hamas and the other terrorist organizations to gradually escalate the "struggle" against Israel because of Israel's [alleged] delaying tactics in easing the daily lives of the Gazans and in rebuilding the Gaza Strip. The PA, Hamas and the PIJ strongly condemned the remarks made by Knesset Member Mahmoud Abbas, who stated that Israel was a Jewish state and would remain as one. The coronavirus: There was a slight decrease in the number of active cases in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. In Judea and Samaria 35 Palestinians were found to have contracted the omicron variant; the first case of the variant was detected in the Gaza Strip.
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Mounting tension between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority because of Hamas’ efforts to strengthen its status among the Palestinians

The growing increase of Hamas' popularity in Palestinian society, at the expense of Fatah, was boosted when Mahmoud Abbas' delayed, and in effect canceled, the Palestinian Authority (PA) parliamentary and presidential elections. It increased further after Operation Guardian of the Walls (May 2021) when Hamas positioned itself as the "defender" of Jerusalem, the Muslim holy sites and the Palestinian residents of the city. Hamas has been fomenting popular unrest to solidify its position as the Palestinians' main influencer, with tactics including demonstrations of strength in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem to undermine security in the PA territories while maintaining relative calm in the Gaza Strip to advance an arrangement with Israel.
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News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 14-21, 2021)

Terrorist attacks: On December 16, 2021, Palestinians ambushed an Israeli vehicle near Homesh, north of Nablus, and shot at the driver and passengers, killing one and wounding two. The shooters fled the scene. In Judea and Samaria Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles driving on the roads. Hamas' military-terrorist wing carried out a military exercise in the Gaza Strip. In Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip there was an increase in the number of active cases of Covid-19. The PA reported six cases of the omicron variant and expects rise in infection.
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News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 8-14, 2021)

Two Palestinians were killed in Israeli security force activities in Nablus and the village of Bayta. Mourners at their funerals carried weapons and chanted their support for Muhammad Deif, commander of Hamas' military-terrorist wing. Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles driving on the roads. On December 7, 2021, the Israeli defense ministry announced the completion of the underground barrier along the Israeli-Gaza Strip border, a project that had taken three and a half years. This past week clashes between Palestinians (for the most part Hamas operatives) and the PA security forces continued.
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News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 1-7, 2021)

This past week three terrorist attacks were carried out, a vehicular ramming attack at the Te'enim Crossing and two stabbing attacks, one near the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem and the other at the al-Jib border crossing. Two Israelis were injured. On December 1, 2021, two Israeli civilians lost their way and drove into Palestinian Authority territory, arriving at Menara Square in the center of Ramallah. The Gaza Strip: Several media outlets reported that according to "Hamas sources," in view of the Egyptian delay in activities for rebuilding the Gaza Strip, Hamas and other Palestinian organizations in the Gaza Strip informed Egypt it had until the end of the year to begin the process, threatening that otherwise they would gradually escalate their activities against Israel, beginning the following week. In the meantime, Hamas administrative employees began receiving their salaries.
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News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (November 24 – 30, 2021)

Judea and Samaria: This past week Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails, mainly at Israeli vehicles driving on the roads. Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the Jewish settlement in Hebron. Gaza Strip: For the first time since Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021, an arrangement has been reached and it will now be possible to use the funds donated by Qatar to pay Hamas employees in the Gaza Strip. Hamas' military-terrorist wing outlawed in Britain: The British Parliament designated Hamas' political bureau as a terrorist organization. The Palestinian Authority (PA): Mahmoud Abbas visited several countries where he met with heads of state.
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The Palestinian Authority (PA)

The Palestinian Authority is a semi-autonomous entity which controls most of the Palestinian population in Judea and Samaria. The Palestinian Authority was established in 1994 by virtue of agreements signed as part of the Oslo process between Israel and the PLO. Formally, the Palestinian Authority also controls the Gaza Strip, but in reality it lost control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007 when Hamas violently took control. Since Yasser Arafat’s death, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) has headed the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian Authority’s status under Yasser Arafat was severely damaged by the Palestinian terrorist campaign (the Al-Aqsa, or Second Intifada, 2000 until 2005). Israel asserted that it failed to function since it did not fight against terrorism and even played an active role in organizing and funding terrorist attacks against Israelis. Israel ended cooperation with it and most Palestinian Authority activities came to a standstill.

After the end of the Second Intifada, Arafat’s death and his succession by Abu Mazen, Israel changed its policy towards the Palestinian Authority and the relations between them improved. Today, the Palestinian Authority controls area A in Judea and Samaria and enjoys partial cooperation with Israel, mainly in terms of security and administration. In the territories under its control, the Palestinian Authority operates through its security services, in coordination with Israel, to maintain internal order and prevent terrorist attacks. At the same time, the Palestinian Authority supports “popular resistance” (popular terrorism), providing political and even practical backing to acts of violence taking place as part of this kind of terrorism.

Many countries around the world give the Palestinian Authority some sort of recognition as a political entity, although most of them do not recognize it as a sovereign state. Some of them formalized their diplomatic relations with the Palestinian Authority and promoted their representatives to the status of ambassadors. On November 29, 2012, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 67/19 by a large majority. The resolution granted the Palestinian Authority a status of an observer state, which is not a full member.