Abstract:
This thesis seeks to interrogate the consolidation of authoritarianism in the Palestinian Authority (PA) under the ultimate sovereignty of Israel. While the PA was ostensibly created to serve as the predecessor to a liberated Palestinian state, Israel, the occupying power, has retained ultimate control and effectively used the concept of Palestinian self-rule to managing the occupation. The 1993 Oslo Accords stated intent to slowly cede different levels of jurisdiction and power to the newly created the PA, while relegating the larger â final statusâ issues to be dealt with at a later date. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) that was party to the Oslo Accords had pursued armed struggle as the path to liberation, pursuant to its original 1968 charter. However, the lack of political progress, particularly toward ending the Israeli occupation, led to popular frustration that culminated in the popular uprising that was the first intifada. This uprising against the occupation began as a grassroots mobilization that demonstrated Palestinian refusal to continue living under occupation while the PLO conducted the struggle from exile. It also demonstrated a challenge to the PLO's relevance in their continued failure to challenge Israel's power or affect political change for those Palestinians under occupation. Though it was the Oslo Accords that stipulated the transition, the PA's power came from Israel. Since the creation and growth of the PA were the result of negotiations with Israel, its further development was beholden to Israel.
