The Palestinian Authority Government of November 2003 was a government of the

Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,

(PA) sworn in on 12 November 2003 and continued until 24 February 2005. It was headed by

Ahmed Qurei Ahmed Ali Mohammed Qurei (or Qureia; ar, أحمد علي محمد قريع, ), also known by his Arabic ''Kunya (Arabic), kunya'' Abu Alaa (, ) (born 26 March 1937) is a former Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority. First appointe ...

, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority. The new 24-member Cabinet was approved by

Palestinian Legislative Council The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is the unicameral legislature of the Palestinian Authority, elected by the Palestinian residents of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It currently comprises 132 members, e ...

on 12 November with 46 votes to 13, and 5 abstentions.

Background

Pursuant to the

Oslo Accords The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993;

and the

Gaza–Jericho Agreement The Gaza–Jericho Agreement, officially called Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, was a follow-up treaty to the Oslo I Accord in which details of Palestinian autonomy were concluded. The agreement is commonly known as the 1994 Cairo ...

, the Palestinian Authority had limited powers to some civil rights of the Palestinians in the West Bank Areas A and B and in the Gaza Strip, and to internal security in Area A and in Gaza. On 6 September 2003, Mahmoud Abbas resigned as Prime Minister and President Arafat asked

to become PM of an emergency government. Following a suicide bombing in Haifa on 4 October, Israel threatened to "remove" Arafat and urged him to act within 48 hours.''Arafat swears in Palestinian cabinet''
Guardian, 7 October 2003.
"In response, Israeli officials threatened to hasten action to "remove" Mr Arafat and warned that a decision might depend on Palestinian action in the ensuing 48 hours." The next day, on 5 October 2003, Arafat installed, by presidential decree, an eight-member emergency government headed by Qurei.''Arafat Swears In New Palestinian Cabinet''
Greg Myre, The New York Times, 8 October 2003.
"Mr. Qurei was nominated a month ago, but has been unable to assemble a full cabinet, with more than 20 ministers, to present to parliament. The emergency regulations give him a month before he has to seek a vote of confidence from the legislature."''Arafat Swears in Emergency Cabinet''
Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times, 8 October 2003.
"But Arafat caught even the ministers off guard by declaring a state of emergency throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the latest bombing. Korei and his stripped-down Cabinet of eight ministers were hastily summoned." Arafat and Qurei disagreed as to who was to be Interior Minister in the next government. Qurei wanted General Nasser Yousef, while Arafat preferred Hakam Balawi.''In the News-New Palestinian Government''
Voice of America, 15 November 2003. On 4 November, the term of the emergency cabinet expired. Hours before the 30-day term expired at midnight, Arafat transformed the Cabinet into a caretaker government.

Timeline

On 12 November 2003, a new 24-member government was presented to the

and approved with 46 votes to 13, and 5 abstentions.''New Palestinian government approved''
CNN, 12 November 2003. Balawi was Interior Minister. On 17 July 2004, Qurei submitted his resignation amid growing chaos in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

.''Arafat denies he is facing crisis''
BBC, 24 July 2004 Offices of the Palestinian authority in Gaza were burned down, and gunmen briefly abducted four French aid workers, the police chief and another official, demanding reforms. Arafat refused to accept Qurei's resignation.''Arafat refuses Qorei resignation''
Sapa-AFP, 18 July 2004 Arafat and Qurei disagreed on Qurei's demand for more authority to restructure and control the Palestinian Security Services to reduce the growing turmoil. Denying the demand, Arafat decreed a state of emergency in Gaza,''State Of Emergency Declared In Gaza''
Sky News, 18 July 2004 and Qurei retracted his resignation. On 27 July, Arafat and Qurei held a press conference after reaching a settlement in a cabinet meeting. After Arafat's death in November 2004 and Mahmoud Abbas' subsequent victory in the Palestinian presidential election in January 2005, Qurei was asked to continue in his post as caretaker prime minister and form a new government. The next government was formed on 24 February 2005, also headed by Qurei.

Members of the Government

November 2003 to February 2005 ''The PA Ministerial Cabinet List November 2003''
Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre. Archived on 3 December 2003

References

External links

''Palestinian prime minister Abbas resigns''
CNN, 6 September 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Palestinian Authority Government of 2003 11 Palestinian National Authority governments 2003 establishments in the Palestinian territories Cabinets established in 2003 2005 disestablishments in the Palestinian territories Cabinets disestablished in 2005

Background

Timeline

Members of the Government

See also

References

External links