Editing Occupied Palestinian territories (section)

==Administrative divisions==
The Constitution of the League of Arab States says the existence and independence of Palestine cannot be questioned de jure even though the outward signs of this independence have remained veiled as a result of force majeure.<ref>Henry G. Schermers and Niels M. Blokker, International Institutional Law, Hotei, 1995–2004, {{ISBN|90-04-13828-5}}, page 51</ref> The League supervised the Egyptian trusteeship of the Palestinian government in Gaza after the termination of the British Mandate and secured assurances from Jordan that the 1950 Act of Union was "without prejudice to the final settlement".<ref name=WhitemanII>Marjorie M. Whiteman, Digest of International Law, vol. 2, US State Department (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1963) pages 1163–68</ref><ref>See paragraph 2.20 of the Written Statement submitted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan {{cite web |url=http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/131/1559.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-06-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511134718/http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/131/1559.pdf |archive-date=11 May 2011 }}</ref>

By the 1988 declaration, the PNC empowered its central council to form a [[government-in-exile]] when appropriate, and called upon its executive committee to perform the duties of the government-in-exile until its establishment.<ref name=Sayighp624>Sayigh, 1999, p. 624.</ref>

Under the terms of the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the PLO, the latter assumed control over the [[Jericho]] area of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on 17 May 1994. On 28 September 1995, following the signing of the Israeli–Palestinian [[Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip]], Israeli military forces withdrew from the West Bank towns of [[Nablus]], [[Ramallah]], [[Jericho]], [[Jenin]], [[Tulkarem]], [[Qalqilya]] and [[Bethlehem]]. In December 1995, the PLO also assumed responsibility for civil administration in 17 areas in [[Hebron]].<ref name=Eurp905>Europa World Publications, 2004, p. 905.</ref> While the PLO assumed these responsibilities as a result of Oslo, a new temporary interim administrative body was set up as a result of the Accords to carry out these functions on the ground: the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

An analysis outlining the relationship between the PLO, the PNA (PA), Palestine and Israel in light of the interim arrangements set out in the Oslo Accords begins by stating that, "Palestine may best be described as a transitional association between the PA and the PLO." It goes on to explain that this transitional association accords the PA responsibility for local government and the PLO responsibility for representation of the Palestinian people in the international arena, while prohibiting it from concluding international agreements that affect the status of the occupied territories. This situation is said to be accepted by the Palestinian population insofar as it is viewed as a temporary arrangement.<ref name=Dajanip121>Dajani in Brownlie et al., 1999, p. 121.</ref>

Since the [[Battle of Gaza (2007)]], the two separate territories, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, are divided into a Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip and a [[Fatah]] civil leadership in the autonomous areas of the West Bank. Each sees itself as the administrator of all Palestinian Territories and does not acknowledge the other one as the official government of the territories. The Palestinian Territories have therefore ''de facto'' split into two entities.

[[File:Palestine election map.PNG|thumb|[[Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority]]]]

===Governorates===
{{main|Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority}}

After the signing of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian territories were divided 16 governorates under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority. Since 2007 there are two governments claiming to be the legitimate government of the Palestinian National Authority, one based in the West Bank and one based in the Gaza Strip.

===West Bank Areas===
{{main|West Bank Areas in the Oslo II Accord}}
[[File:Area A.JPG|thumb|upright|alt=Hebrew roadside sign in red.|Israeli signpost warning Israeli citizens that entry into Area 'A' is forbidden, life-endangering, and constitutes a criminal offense]]

The [[Oslo II Accord]] created three temporary distinct administrative divisions in the Palestinian territories, the Areas ''A'', ''B'' and ''C'', until a final status accord would be established. The areas are not contiguous, but rather fragmented depending on the different population areas as well as [[Israel]]i military requirements.
* ''Area A'' (full civil and security control by the [[Palestinian National Authority|Palestinian Authority]]): circa 3% of the West Bank, exclusive East-Jerusalem (first phase, 1995).<ref name="Oslo 2">{{cite web | last = Gvirtzman | first = Haim |url=http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/books/maps.htm | title = Maps of Israeli Interests in Judea and Samaria Determining the Extent of the Additional Withdrawals}} (this study was funded by the Settlement Division of the Zionist Organization)</ref><ref name=map1>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA_Graphics/MFA%20Gallery/1995/9/MFAJ01v30.jpg |title=Map No. 1 – First Phase of Redeployment |access-date=3 January 2013}}</ref> In 2011: 18%.<ref name=nyt>New York Times, 23 July 2012, [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/world/middleeast/israel-seeks-army-use-of-west-bank-area.html ''Israel Seeks Army Use of West Bank Area'']</ref><ref name=Oslo-map>[https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6B9EABA6D3EA5CE2852578410058A8C6 ''West Bank: Area C Map'']  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110130511/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6B9EABA6D3EA5CE2852578410058A8C6 |date=10 November 2013 }}. UNISPAL, 22 February 2011; from [http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_area_c_map_2011_02_22.pdf OCHAoPt] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208231735/http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_area_c_map_2011_02_22.pdf |date=8 December 2013 }}</ref> This area includes all Palestinian cities and their surrounding areas, with no Israeli settlements. Entry into this area is forbidden to all Israeli citizens. The [[Israel Defense Forces]] occasionally enters the area to conduct raids to arrest suspected militants.
* ''Area B'' (Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli–Palestinian security control): circa 25% (first phase, 1995).<ref name="Oslo 2"/><ref name=map1/> In 2011: 21%.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=Oslo-map/> Includes areas of multiple Palestinian towns and villages and areas, with no Israeli settlements.
* ''[[Area C (West Bank)|Area C]]'' (full Israeli civil and security control, except over Palestinian civilians): circa 72% (first phase, 1995).<ref name="Oslo 2"/><ref name=map1/> In 2011: 61%.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=Oslo-map/> These areas include all Israeli settlements (cities, towns, and villages), nearby land, most roadways that connected the settlements (and which Israelis are now restricted to) as well as strategic areas described as "security zones."<ref name=nyt/> There were 1,000 Israeli settlers living in Area C in 1972. By 1993, their population had increased to 110,000. {{As of|2012}} they number more than 300,000 – as against 150,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are Bedouin and ''[[fellahin]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Diab|first=Khaled|title=Bedouin kids' school of hard knocks|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/bedouin-kids-school-of-hard-knocks.premium-1.463104|access-date=9 September 2012|newspaper=[[Haaretz]]|date=6 September 2012}}</ref>