Africa & Middle East

Palestine

Political journey

The Palestinian Authority was created by the Oslo Accords of 1993 to 1995 to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza, territories occupied by Israel since 1967. Hamas won the 2006 elections and took control of Gaza in 2007, splitting Palestinian politics. Mahmoud Abbas has been president since 2005 without new elections, and Gaza has been devastated by the war that began in October 2023.

Palestine today

Its current leader’s position on the ten Caucus dimensions.

💰EconomyCentered on economy
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityStrongly authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureLeaning traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationStrongly nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentCentered on environment
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologySlightly tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceLeaning peace-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsStrongly institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionLeaning religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismSlightly non-interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

Who leads Palestine today

Portrait of Mahmoud Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas

President of the Palestinian Authority, 2005 to present

Leader of Fatah who has headed the Palestinian Authority since 2005 and favors negotiations toward a Palestinian state, while facing criticism at home over the lack of elections and Hamas’s control of Gaza.

Mahmoud Abbas sits in the right-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: centered on economy and strongly authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly institutional on institutions, strongly authoritarian on liberty and authority and strongly nationalist on nation. The profile is close to the middle on economy and environment.

Full profile of Mahmoud Abbas →

Political views closest to Palestine’s leadership

Confucian meritocracyPrefers rule by educated, moral officials chosen by merit over competitive elections.98%CorporatismOrganizes society into industry and professional bodies that bargain with the state, an…98%One-nation conservatismA paternalist conservatism holding that the better off owe duties to the poor and to…96%MonarchismSupports a hereditary monarch as head of state, from ceremonial constitutional monarchy…94%

Countries with similar leadership

Ranked by how close their current leaders are on the ten dimensions.

MongoliaAsia & Oceania98%JordanAfrica & Middle East98%TanzaniaAfrica & Middle East98%Timor-LesteAsia & Oceania98%

Country histories are short summaries. Positions are simplified estimates of the leaders included in Caucus as of October 2026, and percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions.