what is the palestinian authority

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is a governing body that exercises partial civil control over West Bank areas "A" and "B" as a consequence of the 1993–1995 Oslo Accords. It was formed in 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. The PA is a semi-presidential multi-party republic, with the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), an executive President, and a Prime Minister leading a Cabinet. The PA has an elected presidency and unicameral legislative council (parliament) called the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), but there have been no presidential elections since incumbent Mahmoud Abbas was elected in 2005, and no parliamentary elections since 2006. The PA is dominated by Fatah, a secular political party founded by diaspora Palestinians after the 1948 Nakba, or “Catastrophe”. The PA has been criticized for human rights abuses, including cracking down on journalists, human rights activists, and dissent against its rule.