In 1997, the Palestinian Legislative Council approved the Basic Law, which was not signed by Arafat until 29 May 2002. This 2002 Basic Law stipulated that it only applied to the interim period set by the Oslo Accords. According to the Law, the Legislative Council (which should approve the Government) as well as the President of the Palestinian Authority (who should appoint the Ministers) were envisioned to function until the end of the interim period.[1] The interim period had in fact ended on 5 July 1999.
References
^2002 Basic Law, 29 May 2002. Article 34: The term of this Council shall be the interim period. Article 53: The term of the Presidency shall be the Transitional Phase, after which the President shall be elected in accordance with law. Article 62: The President of the National Authority shall appoint Ministers, remove them, and accept their resignations and presides over the meeting of the Council of Ministers. Article 65: The Cabinet shall consist of a number of Ministers not to exceed Nineteen