Editing Palestinian Authority (section)

===Hamas–Fatah conflict===
[[File:Palestinian legislative election 2006.png|300px|thumb|The [[2006 Palestinian legislative election|Palestinian legislative election in 2006]], Hamas (green) and Fatah (yellow)]]
{{main|Fatah–Hamas conflict|Gaza Strip under Hamas}}
[[2006 Palestinian legislative election|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 a Hamas-led Palestinian government was formed, the [[Quartet on the Middle East|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,<ref>CRS Report for Congress, 27 June 2006, [https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/68794.pdf ''U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826185858/http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/68794.pdf |date=26 August 2014 }}</ref> which resulted in the Quartet suspension of its foreign assistance program and [[Israel]] imposed [[2006–2007 economic sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority|economic sanctions]].

In December 2006, [[Ismail Haniyeh]], Prime Minister of 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."<ref name="Ref_2006b">{{Citation|date=8 December 2006|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-12-08-palestinian-pm_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA|title=Palestinian prime minister vows not to recognize Israel|agency=Associated Press | work=USA Today | access-date=21 May 2010}}</ref>

In an attempt to resolve the financial and diplomatic impasse, the Hamas-led government together with Fatah Chairman [[Mahmoud Abbas]] agreed to form a [[Palestinian government of March 2007|unity government]]. As a result, Haniyeh resigned on 15 February 2007 as part of 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 [[Battle for Gaza (2007)|''Brothers' War'']].

After the [[Battle for Gaza (2007)|takeover in Gaza by Hamas]] on 14 June 2007, Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas dismissed the government and on 15 June 2007 appointed [[Salam Fayyad]] [[Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|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 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.<ref name="Ref_l">{{cite web|agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/874106.html|title=Mubarak Calls Hamas' Takeover of the Gaza Strip a 'Coup'|work=Haaretz|location=Israel|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070625201301/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/874106.html|archive-date=25 June 2007|date=4 May 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hamas, which [[Gaza Strip under Hamas|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 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."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/prisoner-protests-mark-pa-effort-to-start-a-popular-intifada/|title=Prisoner protests mark PA effort to start a 'popular intifada'|first=Elhanan|last=Miller|website=The Times of Israel}}</ref>