Whose Gaza is it anyway?

January 15, 2009 9:37 AM

Is Gaza considered a separate nation-state from the Palestinian Authority by the Israeli government?

Israel is at war with Hamas, the militant group/political party that won elections in the Palestinian Authority a few years ago and then recently took control of Gaza in a military coup that routed Fatah militias and the Palestinian Authority's police. If both of those groups are not present in Gaza, doesn't that mean that Hamas has instituted a wholly separately Palestinian nation with a different political structure?

The West Bank is run by the Palestinian Authority and the Fatah Party. If Hamas runs Gaza, is it still a part of the Palestinian Authority? Or, is it considered by Israel to be a second Palestinian nation-state that is entirely separated from West Bank/Palestinian Authority? If Hamas is decimated in Gaza, who is the de facto head of state?

posted by parmanparman to law & government (5 comments total)

The city of Gaza is under siege by the Israelis. Not to be confused with the Gaza strip of which it is in. It is the the capital of the Palestinian Authority.
posted by JJ86 at 9:51 AM on January 15

This primer from Slate may help you. It is not considered to be a second state; it's part of the Palestinian National Authority. Hamas won elections in 2006 and appointed a Prime Minister. However, the US and Israel did not recognize the Hamas government. The chairman of the Palestinian Authority is a member of Fatah and dissolved the government but his influence is effectively limited to the West Bank due to a near civil war between the two parties that saw a partitioning of parties to different parts of Palestine.
posted by proj at 9:55 AM on January 15

I found the CIA World Factbook page on Gaza very helpful as well.
posted by pointystick at 10:02 AM on January 15

It is the the capital of the Palestinian Authority.

It's worth noting that this is disputed. Ramallah or Jerusalem are generally considered to be the capital of the PA.
posted by Adam_S at 10:17 AM on January 15

Jerusalem remains a contested city. Both sides claim ties to it. Both religions plus Christianity have religious places there. The US has said over and over that it should be the capital of Israel but this has never come to pass. Should there eventually be a peace talk between the Palestinians and Israel, something will have to be worked out about Jerusalem, in addition of course to other pressing issues.
posted by Postroad at 2:21 PM on January 15