The Palestinian body governing parts of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip

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 body to govern Palestinian internal security, administration and civilian affairs in areas of self-rule, for a five-year interim period. It consists of the elected Chairman (President), the appointed Cabinet and the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The PA is bound by agreements signed with Israel and, as such, has limited powers to act as a state. However, since January 2013, the PA refers to itself as the State of Palestine in official documents, following a UN vote that recognised Palestine as a non-member UN observer state.