A brief introduction to the political players in Palestine

A brief introduction to the political players in Palestine

Subject: IR

Section: Conflict

Context: Last week’s attack on Israel has brought not just Hamas under the spotlight, but also other significant players in Palestine such as Fatah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and Palestinian Authority (PA).

Some more details in brief:

1. Fatah:

• Fatah, a Palestinian nationalist organization, was founded in the late 1950s, aiming to conduct an armed struggle to liberate Palestine.
• After military activities from Jordan and Lebanon, it joined the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
• In the 1970s, Fatah transitioned to negotiations with Israel and signed the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, leading to the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA). 
• It now leads the Palestinian Authority, governing part of the West Bank but lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2006 elections.

2. Hamas:

• Hamas is the largest Palestinian militant Islamist group and one of the two major political parties in the region.
• Currently, it governs more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
• It was founded in the late 1980s, after the beginning of the first Palestinian intifada
• The organization, however, is also known for its armed resistance against Israel
• Hamas as a whole, or in some cases its military wing, is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and other countries.

3. Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ):

• The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the second-largest militant group in Palestine, aims to replace Israel with an Islamic Palestinian state using force.
• Established in 1981, it has ties to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and receives financial support from Iran.
• While aligned with Hamas, PIJ differs as a smaller, secretive militia focused on armed struggle, unlike Hamas, which is larger and has governance roles in Gaza.
• PIJ has engaged in student politics and participated in Palestinian university elections since the 1980s, as well as the 1996 legislative elections.

4. Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO):

• The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed in 1964, initially aiming to liberate Palestine through armed struggle, with Fatah as the dominant faction.
• Yasser Arafat led the PLO until 2004, followed by Mahmoud Abbas.
• While it engaged in armed struggle into the 1990s, the PLO gained international recognition as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
• It endorsed a two-state solution in 1988, and a significant shift occurred in the early 1990s when it renounced armed struggle and recognized Israel’s statehood, leading to the emergence of Hamas.

5. Palestinian Authority (PA)

• The Palestinian Authority (PA) was established in 1994 by the Oslo Accords as an interim governing body for Gaza and the West Bank, except East Jerusalem. 
• It operates as an agency of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and is led by an elected president who appoints a prime minister.
• However, it lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2006, and currently, it administers parts of the West Bank, with Mahmoud Abbas leading both the PA and PLO.