The West Bank leadership is not dissolving the Palestinian Authority (PA) but rather transforming it from an administrative and municipal authority to a resistance authority, a Fatah official said recently. Mohammad Shtayyeh, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, told Al-Quds newspaper the PA will begin focusing on issues such as boycotting Israel and obstructing settlement construction.

Shtayyeh’s Aug. 30 statements came two weeks before the Sept. 13 anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accord between the PLO and Israel in 1993.

Hamas, on the other hand, has said it is dissolving its administration in the Gaza Strip. Perhaps that's why some Palestinians have speculated lately about the possible collapse of the PA and its transformation into a self-governing authority rather than a sovereign state. Shtayyeh, who previously served as the minister of public works, told Al-Quds that dissolving the PA is out of the question.

“We do not want to preserve the same status quo. The Palestinian government, with all its institutions, including the police, the security apparatus and other institutions, has to contribute to this shift. They have to turn into a resistance authority against Israeli settlements. We should be able to take measures without the permission of Israel, such as digging water wells and reforesting Area C in the West Bank, among other steps," he said.