Palestinian Authority

American  

[pal-uhs-tin-ee-uhn uh-thawr-i-tee, uh-thor-i-tee] / ˌpæl əsˈtɪn i ən əˌθɔr ɪ ti, əˌθɒr ɪ ti /

noun

1. a governing body, established in 1994, having partial administrative control over Palestinian areas of the West Bank and also claiming authority over the Gaza Strip.

---

Palestinian Authority Cultural  

1. A legal entity, established in 1994, by which Palestinians govern the parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank that are not attached to Israel. Although divided on several issues, the leadership of the Palestinian Authority is committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state, which, it expects, will grow out of the Palestinian Authority. (See Yasir Arafat, Oslo Accord.)

---

Example Sentences

It was staffed by Palestinian Authority border and custom agents, who inspected everyone’s suitcases while being supervised by monitors from the European Union Border Assistance Mission.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

The idea was that the board would be the forum where Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and other Middle East countries discuss political reforms, reconstruction, and other issues relating to security and long-term peace in Gaza.

From Slate • Jan. 28, 2026

On Friday, Mladenov visited the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority, to meet Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

Earlier this month, the White House said that full-entry restrictions would be imposed on people from the three countries, as well as South Sudan, Syria and Palestinian Authority passport holders.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

Gaza Strip:   Economic output in the Gaza Strip - which comes under   the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority since the Cairo   Agreement of May 1994 - declined perhaps one-third between 1992 and   1996.

From The 2001 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency