A legal entity, established in 1994, by which Palestinians govern the parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank that are not attached to Israel. Although divided on several issues, the leadership of the Palestinian Authority is committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state, which, it expects, will grow out of the Palestinian Authority. (See Yasir Arafat, Oslo Accord.)
Palestinian Authority
governing body of the emerging Palestinian autonomous regions of the West Bank and Gaza Strip established in 1994 as part of the peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
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