The Palestinian Authority (PA) is an administrative body established in June 1994, on the basis of the Oslo Accords signed the previous year by the PLO and Israel.
It was formed as a temporary administrative body to serve during a 5-year interim period to govern Palestinian internal security Palestinian internal security, administration and civilian affairs in areas of self-rule. It consists of the elected Chairman (President), the appointed Cabinet and the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
The PA is subject to agreements signed with Israel and, as such, has limited powers to act as a state. However, since January 2013, the PA began referring to itself as the State of Palestine in official documents, following a UN vote that recognised Palestine as a non-member UN observer state.
The PA is responsible for negotiating the permanent status issues towards a final settlement with Israel.