Utilisateur:Mr Patate/bac à sable/Autorité palestinienne

Palestinian National Authority
(السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية)
	Fichier:Pna logo.jpg
Flag of Palestine	Coat of Arms
	Anthem: Biladi
West Bank	Gaza Strip
Capitale (disputé]]	Jérusalem
Langue Officiale(s)	Arabe
Président	Mahmoud Abbas
Premier ministre	Ahmad Qurei (acting)
Superficie (projecté) - Total (WB and GS) - ; % water	6,236 km² ; ~3.52%
Population; - projecté mi-(2006); - Densité	; 3,888,292 [1]; ~623.52/km²
Déclaration de l' ; Independence	Encore aucune
IDH (2003)	0.729 (102ème) – medium
PIB (base PPP) ; - (2003 est.)	Cisjordanie: $1,800,000,000 ; Gaza: $768,000,000
Monnaie	Dinar jordanien (JOD) (Cj seulement) Nouveau shekel (NIS),; ISO 4217 (ILS)
Fuseau horaire	UTC +2/Heure d'été +3
Hymne national	Biladi
Domaine Internet	.ps
Indicatif téléphonique	970

L'Autorité palestinienne (AP; Arabe: السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية As-Sulta Al-Wataniyya Al-Filastiniyya Hebrew: הרשות הפלסטינית Harashut Hafalastinit) is an interim administrative organization that nominally governs parts of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip (which are part of the Palestinian Territories).

The AP was established in 1994, pursuant to the Oslo accords between the Palistinian Liberation Organisation and the government of Israel, as a 5-year transitional body during which final status negotiations between the two parties were to take place. According to the Accords, the Autorité palestinienne was designated to have control over both security-related and civilian issues in Palestinian urban areas (referred to as "Area A"), and only civilian control over Palestinian rural areas ("Area B"). The remainder of the territories (including Israeli settlements, the Jordan Valley region, and bypass roads between Palestinian communities) were to remain under exclusive Israeli control ("Area C"). Hamas has accepted to declare the State of Palestine which will transform the AP into Palestinian authorities. Hamas will "smatch" (no commit to) the Oslo Accords.

The Autorité palestinienne enjoys some international recognition as the organization representing the Palestinian people (albeit a limited one). Under the name "Palestine", it has an observer status in the United Nations, and receives considerable financial assistance from the European Union as well as some from the United States (which both have threatened to cut now that Hamas won paralimentary elections in January 2006), and few other donor countries. The Gaza International Airport was built by the AP in the city of Rafah, but operated for only a brief period before being razed by Israel following the outbreak of Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000. A sea port was also being constructed in Gaza but was never completed (see below).

The AP maintains an official uniformed armed service which various sources estimate to include anywhere from 40,000 to 80,000 recruits (¹) employing some armored cars, and a limited number carry automatic weapons [2]. Officially termed a "police force", it is accused by some of violating the Oslo Accords which limit the force to 30,000 recruits. Hamas, the new ruling party, announced that there will be a Palestinian army form of the military-wings of the Palestinian factions.

Many Palestinians are dependent on access to the Israeli job market. During the 1990s, Israel however began to replace Palestinians with foreign guest workers. They were found to be economical and also were useful as a means limiting dependence on Palestinians as a source of cheap labor due to what it called security concerns. This hurt the Palestinian economy, reducing the popularity of the AP.

Officials[modifier | modifier le code]

Modèle:Office-table |President |Mahmoud Abbas | |January 15 2005 |- |Prime Minister |Ahmad Qurei (acting) | |December 24 2005 |}

Past Prime Ministers:

Mahmoud Abbas: March 19, 2003 - September 6, 2003
Ahmad Qurei: October 7, 2003 - December 15, 2005
Nabil Shaath: December 15, 2005 - December 24, 2005
Ahmad Qurei: December 24, 2005 - to present (acting as caretaker)

Past Presidents:

Yasser Arafat: July 5, 1994 - November 11, 2004
Rauhi Fattouh (acting): November 11, 2004 - January 15, 2005

Political parties and elections[modifier | modifier le code]

Modèle:Elect From the establishment of the Autorité palestinienne in 1993 until the death of Yasser Arafat in late 2004, only one election had taken place. All other elections were deferred for various reasons.

A single election for president and the legislature took place in 1996. The next presidential and the legislature election were scheduled for 2001, but were delayed following the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada. However, following Arafat's death, elections for the President of the Authority were announced for January 9 2005. The PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas won by 62.3% of the vote, while Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, a physician and independent candidate, won 19.8%. [3]. Modèle:Palestinian presidential election, 2005 Main article: Palestinian presidential election, 2005

On May 10, 2004 the Palestinian Cabinet announced that municipal elections would take place for the first time. Elections were announced for August 2004 in Jericho, followed by certain municipalities in the Gaza Strip. In July 2004 these elections were postponed. Issues with voter registration are said to have contributed to the delay. Municipal elections finally took place for council officials in Jericho and 25 other towns and villages in the West Bank on December 23, 2004. On January 27, 2005 municipal elections took place in the Gaza Strip for officials in 10 local councils. Further municipal elections in the West Bank took place in May 2005 [4]. Modèle:Palestine legislative election, 1996 Elections for a new Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) were scheduled for July 2005 by Acting Autorité palestinienne President Rawhi Fattuh in January 2005. These elections were postponed by Mahmoud Abbas after major changes to the Election Law were enacted by the PLC which required more time for the Palestinian Central Elections Committee to process and prepare. Among these changes were the expansion of the number of parliament seats from 88 to 132, with half of the seats to be competed for in 16 localities, and the other half to be elected in proportional to party votes from a nationwide pool of candidates. These elections were conducted on January 25, 2006, and Hamas won a majority of the seats.

Main article: Palestinian legislative election, 2006

The following organizations, listed in alphabetic order, have taken part in recent elections inside the Palestinian National Authority:

Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Al-Jabhah al-Dimuqratiyah Li-Tahrir Filastin)
Fatah or Liberation Movement of Palestine (Harakat al-Tahrâr al-Filistini)
Hamas or Islamic Resistance Movement (Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyah)
Palestine Democratic Union (al-Ittihad al-Dimuqrati al-Filastini, FiDA)
Palestinian National Initiative (al-Mubadara al-Wataniya al-Filistiniyya)
Palestinian People's Party (Hizb al-Sha'b al-Filastini)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Al-Jabhah al-sha'abiyah Li-Tahrir Filastin)

The Liberation Party (Hizb ut-Tahrir) participated in the West Bank, before it was reoccupied, it currently refuses to do so.

Politics and Internal structure[modifier | modifier le code]

The Autorité palestinienne (AP) has historically been associated with the PLO, with whom Israel negotiated the Oslo Accords. The Chairman of the PLO, Yasser Arafat, was elected as President of AP in a landslide victory in 1996. Subsequent elections were postponed, ostensibly due to the eruption of the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Israeli military clampdown that accompanied it. However, internal Palestinian strife was also a reason for the disorganization in government, and it was not until Arafat's death in 2004 that new elections occurred on both presidential and local levels. Although almost 80% of the employees of the AP were local Palestinians, higher posts were occupied mostly by PLO officials who returned from exile once the AP was established in 1994. To many local Palestinians, these "returnees" were a source of bureaucracy and corruption.

Arafat's administration was criticized for its lack of democracy, wide-spread corruption among officials, and the division of power among families and numerous governmental agencies with overlapping functions. He established over ten distinct security organizations through various mechanisms in an alleged divide et impera scheme, which is claimed to have guaranteed an atmosphere of power-struggle in the Authority which enabled him to preserve overall control. Both Israel and the US declared they lost trust in Arafat as a partner and refused to negotiate with him, regarding him as linked to terrorism. Arafat denied this, and was visited by other leaders around the world up until his death. However, this began a push for change in the Palestinian leadership. In 2003, Arafat succumbed to domestic and international pressure and appointed Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) as prime minister of the AP. Abbas resigned four months later because of lack of support from Israel, the US, and Arafat himself. He was later chosen as his Fatah party's candidate for president of the AP in 2004 after the death of Arafat. He won the presidency on January 9, 2005 with 62% of the vote.

According to the Palestinian "Basic Law" which was signed by Arafat in 2002 after a long delay, the current structure of the AP is based on three separate branches of power [5]: executive, legislative, and judiciary. The Judiciary Branch has yet to be properly formalized. The president of the AP is directly elected by the people, and the holder of this position is also considered to be the commander-in chief of the armed forces. In an amendment to the Basic Law approved in 2003 (and which may or may not become part of the Palestinian constitution once independence is established), the president appoints a "prime minister" who is also chief of the national security services. The prime minister chooses a cabinet of ministers and runs the government, reporting directly to the president. The current prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, formed his government on February 24, 2005 to wide international praise because, for the first time, most ministries were headed by experts in their field as opposed to political appointees [6].

The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is an elected body of 88 representatives and acts as a parliament. The PLC must approve all government cabinet positions proposed by the prime minister, and must also confirm the prime minister himself upon nomination by the president. As opposed to other Arab countries, the PLC has historically demonstrated considerable power, and has frequently caused changes in government appointments through threats of no-confidence votes. Many critical votes are won in the government's favor without an outright majority. Since the death of Arafat, the PLC has reinvigorated its activity, and commonly summons senior executive officials to testify before it. Parliamentary elections were conducted in January 2006 after the recent passage of an overhauled election law that increased the number of seats from 88 to 132.

Current events[modifier | modifier le code]

Since the beginning of the Second Intifada, a growing number of Palestinians have stopped accepting the Autorité palestinienne as a representative of the Palestinian people. Some claim that has become a tool of the Israeli government, and that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad represents the Palestinian interest more loyally. However, polls indicate that the Israeli attack on the West Bank since the spring of 2002 has strengthened the standing of the PLO among the Palestinian people.

Israel, on the other hand, has accused the Autorité palestinienne of ignoring and covertly sponsoring the violence against Israelis. Israeli experts claim that Arafat specifically intended to lose authority in favor of the Islamic movements, so that he could still use "terrorism" without actually controlling it. The prolonged support and participation of his own private militia, the Fatah, in terrorist attacks, reinforces that claim. This view has been officially accepted by the United States in summer 2002, which decided then to halt most sorts of negotiations with the current Palestinian authority, pending a fundamental organizational change. The non-governmental American Council on Foreign Relations has declared the Autorité palestinienne under Arafat a haven for terrorism.

During the Intifada or uprising, Israel has often targeted Autorité palestinienne personnel and resources. In particular, many of the people arrested, assassinated or killed (extra-judicially) in action because of their alleged terrorist activities were employees of the Autorité palestinienne's security forces or militias. In Operation Defensive Shield Israel has captured documents that allegedly prove that the Autorité palestinienne officially sponsors terrorist activities, which are carried out by its personnel as "shadow jobs". For instance, Israel arrested and convicted Marwan Barghouti, a prominent leader of Fatah, for his role as leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. Barghouti maintains his innocence, and rejects the impartiality of the Israeli courts.

Israel has also targeted Autorité palestinienne infrastructure; in particular it has closed and destroyed parts of the Palestinian sea and air ports, that were used, it claimed, to transport "terrorists" and their equipment. Israel's incursions during the Intifada also led to damage to some of the Palestinian computer infrastructure, though it is not clear to what extent it was deliberate.

These moves were criticized by the Palestinians, who claim that the Autorité palestinienne is nearing collapse, and is no longer able to carry out its internal and external obligations. This is because these repeated degradations of AP resources and infrastructure have led to complaints by the AP and some of its EU funders that Israel is deliberately hobbling the AP to restrict its powers of law enforcement in order to present an image of terrorism and lawlessness in the Palestinian Territories. Israel claimed that the current Autorité palestinienne under Arafat is fradulent and impossible to trust, and hence no longer relevant to achieving a future peace agreement.

On July 7, 2004, the Quartet of Middle East mediators informed Ahmed Queri, Prime Minister of the Autorité palestinienne, that they are "sick and tired" of the Palestinians failure to carry out promised reforms: "If security reforms are not done, there will be no (more) international support and no funding from the international community" [7]

On July 18, 2004, United States President George W. Bush stated that the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of 2005 is unlikely due to instability and violence in the Autorité palestinienne. (Le Figaro)

In order for there to be a Palestinian state, it is essential for its leaders to be open to reform and be dedicated to their people.

The problem of the Palestinians is a territorial one – they have no state and they have no leaders. Palestinians that want change need to demand that a security force be established. The real problem is that there is no leadership that is able to say 'help us establish a state and we will fight terror and answer the needs of the Palestinians'.

Following Arafat's death on November 11, 2004, Rawhi Fattuh, leader of the Palestinian Legislative Council became Acting President of the Autorité palestinienne as provided for in Article 119 of Constitution of the State of Palestine.

In accordance with the election’s law, the ballot for the election of the new President shall be held not more than sixty days after the beginning of the vacancy.

In the Palestinian presidential election, 2005 which took place on January 9, 2005 voters elected Mahmoud Abbas as President of the Autorité palestinienne.

On 2005, Israel officially handed over Jericho and Tulkarm to the AP and withdraw from the Gaza Strip but later retook Tulkarm after a suicide bombing.

On 19 April, 2005, Vladimir Putin the president of Russia agrees to aid the Autorité palestinienne stating, "We support the efforts of President Abbas to reform the security services and fight against terrorism ... If we are waiting for President Abbas to fight terrorism, he cannot do it with the resources he has now. ... We will give the Autorité palestinienne technical help by sending equipment, training people. We will give the Autorité palestinienne helicopters and also communication equipment." [8]

Finances[modifier | modifier le code]

Use of European Union assistance[modifier | modifier le code]

In February 2004, it was reported that the European Union (EU) anti-fraud office (OLAF) is studying documents suggesting that Yasser Arafat and the Autorité palestinienne diverted tens of millions of dollars in EU funds to organizations involved in militant attacks, such as the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. A provisional assessment released in August 2004 said that "To date, there is no evidence that funds from the non-targeted EU Direct Budget Assistance to the Autorité palestinienne have been used to finance illegal activities, including terrorism."

A separate EU "Working Group" has issued a report in April 2004, adopted by a 7-6 vote, which covers the period from the end of 2000 to the end of 2002, states that EU aid has not been siphoned off to Palestinian militants carrying out attacks on Israelis: "There is no conclusive evidence, to date, that the EU non-targeted direct budgetary support was used to finance illegal activities, including the financing of terrorism".

The EU has changed the way it funded the Palestinians and now targeted aid for specific purposes. From April 2003, money is only handed over if various conditions are met, such as the presentation of invoices for bills the Palestinians need to pay. The EU remains the biggest donor to the Autorité palestinienne.

Payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons[modifier | modifier le code]

On July 22, 2004, Salam Fayyad Minister of Finance of the Autorité palestinienne in an article in the Palestinian weekly, The Jerusalem Times, detailed the following payments to Palestinians imprisoned by the Israeli authorities:

1. Prisoner allowances increased between June 2002 and June 2004 to $9.6m monthly, an increase of 246 percent compared with January 1995-June 2002.

2. Between June 2002 and June 2004, 77 million shekels were delivered to prisoners, compared to 121 million between January 1995 and June 2002, which is an increase of 16 million shekels yearly. The increase of annual spending between the two periods registers 450 percent, which is much higher than the percentage of increase of the number of prisoners.

3. Between 2002 and 2004, the AP paid 22 million shekels to cover other expenses — lawyers’ fees, fines, and allocations for released prisoners. This includes lawyers’ fees paid directly by the AP and fees paid through the Prisoners Club.

Allegations of lawlessness in Palestinian areas[modifier | modifier le code]

Violence against civilians[modifier | modifier le code]

It is claimed that some of the smuggling tunnels connecting Egypt and the Gaza Strip are controlled by one of the Autorité palestinienne security services under Moussa Arafat's command. He is accused of receiving a portion of the profits derived from the smuggling tunnels. [9]

Violence against officials[modifier | modifier le code]

On October 15, 2003, three members of a United States diplomatic convoy were killed and additional members of the convoy wounded three kilometers south of the Erez Crossing into the Gaza Strip by a terrorist bomb. The perpetrators remain at large.

In February 2004 Ghassan Shaqawa (the mayor of Nablus) filed his resignation from office in protest of the Autorité palestinienne's lack of action against the armed militias rampaging the city and the multiple attempts by Palestinian terrorists to assassinate him. Gaza's police chief, General Saib al-Ajez, later would say: "This internal conflict between police and the militants cannot happen. It is forbidden. We are a single nation and many people know each other and it is not easy to kill someone who is bearing a weapon to defend his nation." [10]

Through the first three months of 2004, a number of attacks on journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been blamed on the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, most clearly the attack on the Arab television station Al-Arabiya's West Bank offices by masked men self-identifying as members of the Brigades. Palestinian journalists in Gaza called a general strike on February 9 to protest this rising violence against journalists.

Ghazi al-Jabali, the Gaza Strip Chief of Police, since 1994 has been the target of repeated attacks by Palestinians. In March 2004, his offices were targeted by gunfire. In April 2004, a bomb was detonated destroying the front of his house. In July 17, 2004, he was kidnapped at the at gunpoint following an ambush of his convoy and wounding of two bodyguards. He was released several hours later. [11] Less than six hours later, Colonel Khaled Abu Aloula, director of military coordination in the southern part of Gaza was abducted.

On July 18, Arafat replaced Ghazi al-Jabali, with his nephew Moussa Arafat, sparking violent riots in Rafah and Khan Yunis in which members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades burned AP offices and opened fire on Palestinian policemen. During the riots at least one Palestinian was killed and dozen more seriously wounded.

Regarding the descent into chaos Cabinet minister Qadoura Fares stated on July 21, 2004:

Every one of us is responsible. Arafat is the most responsible for the failure. President Arafat failed and the Palestinian government failed, the Palestinian political factions failed. [12]

On July 22, 2004, The United Nations elevated its threat warning level for the Gaza Strip to "Phase Four" (one less than the maximum "Phase Five") and plans to evacuate non-essential foreign staff from the Gaza Strip. [13]

The firing of Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel is strongly opposed by those living closest to the firing location due to frequent Israeli military responses to Qassam rocket launches. On July 23, 2004, an Arab boy was shot and killed by Palestinian terrorists of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades after he and his family physically opposed their attempt to set up a Qassam rocket launcher outside the family's house. Five other individuals were wounded in the incident.[14] [15] [16][17]

On August 31, the Jenin Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, threaten to kill Minister Nabil Shaath for participating in a conference in Italy attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, declaring "He will be sentenced to death if he enters. The decision cannot be rescinded, we call upon his bodyguards to abandon his convoy in order to save their lives." [18]

Footnotes[modifier | modifier le code]

¹ David Hirst, "The New Oppressor of the Palestinians," Guardian (London), July 6, 1996, reprinted in World Press Review, October 1996, p. 11. Hirst suggests that there are 40,000-50,000 security officers. For Israeli press reports about there being 40,000 officers, see Steve Rodan, "Gov't: AP Has 16,000 More Policemen than Permitted by Oslo," Jerusalem Post (international edition), May 2, 1998, p. 3. According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli defense sources said in September 1996 that the number of armed men in the AP had risen to 80,000. See Steve Rodan, "Palestinians Have 80,000 Armed Fighters," Jerusalem Post, September 27, 1996, p. 5.