Palestine

The Palestinian territories (http://www.pna.gov.ps/) consist of two physically separate entities, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and are not considered part of any sovereign nation. The West Bank including East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip have been under Israeli governance since 1967 Israel unilaterally withdrew its settlements from Gaza in 2005 although it retains effective control of the region. The final status of the territory remains the subject of ongoing and future negotiations. The stated outcome of negotiations and final status talks is currently regarded as the eventual creation of a new, sovereign state - to be called simply Palestine.

The Palestinian National Authority PNA or PA is a semi-autonomous state institution created in agreement with Israel and the United Nations that officially is in charge of most of the Palestinian Territories. The PNA, dominated by the political faction Fatah, de facto only has control of certain areas of the West Bank depending upon the region; other areas are under Israeli control. Hamas, a rival group of Fatah, is de facto in control of the Gaza Strip. Hamas claims to be the only sole legitimate Palestinian government, but it is not internationally recognized.