Ministry of Interior (Palestine)
وزارة الداخلية Ministry of Interior | |
Ministry of Interior headquarters in Jerusalem | |
Formed | 30 Sep 1948 |
Type | Interior ministry |
Country | Arab Union |
Republic | Palestine |
Jurisdiction | • Law enforcement • Emergency services • Public administration |
Headquarters | Sheikh Jarrah Blvd 300 NE Jerusalem, Palestine |
Executive | Abdullah Idris |
Parent agency | Governorate of Palestine |
The Ministry of Interior (Arabic: وزارة الداخلية wuzārat ad-dākhiliyah) is an executive department of the Palestinian government, responsible for overseeing law enforcement and public administration in the Palestinian Arab Republic, one of the 20 republics of the Arab Union. It is primarily responsible for overseeing the Palestine National Police, the correctional system and related areas of public administration.
Structure[edit | edit source]
The Minister of Interior appoints and oversees several directors, each of whom are responsible for leading the administration of a particular agency under internal executive jurisdiction of the civilian government. These agencies range in their responsibilities from law enforcement such as policing or corrections to censuses and statistics. There are also several purely administrative bodies under the Minister of Interior's jurisdiction which do not have legal coercive powers, but which oversee important functions of the state such as maintenance of public services and crisis response.
Agencies[edit | edit source]
- Palestine National Police: Responsible for law enforcement at the republican level, as well as assisting smaller and larger police and security forces;
- Corrections Directorate: Administers the national correctional system, including prisons, labour camps, and rehabilitation facilities, as well as the parole and probation system;
- General Security Directorate: Responsible for operating the emergency services hotline and dispatch centre and overseeing public security operations;
- Preventive Security Directorate: The main counterterrorism agency of the ministry;
- Economic Security Directorate: Maintains security of state enterprises and thwarts economic espionage and sabotage;
- Transportation Security Directorate: Maintains safety and security of state transportation systems and institutions.
Administrative bodies[edit | edit source]
- Public Administration Office: Responsible for vital statistics, record-keeping and related public and state archives, issuance of photo IDs and other important legal documents, etc.;
- Police Authorities Commission: Chaired by the Deputy Minister of Interior, the commission supervises and coordinates between the police authorities of each police district (the official employer of a police district's respective territorial police force), and liaises between the Ministry of Interior and the police authorities (and by extension each authority's territorial police), ensuring central government control and proper oversight of police operations;
- Internal Administration Office: The administrative arm and secretariat of the ministry itself; mostly responsible for coordinating activities between directorates and advising the Minister of Interior;
- Internal Review Committee: Researches and makes recommendations regarding the nature and hierarchy of Ministry if Interior agencies;
- Budget Department: Oversees the Ministry of Interior budget and operational finances;
- Human Resources Department: Recruits and trains administrative and security personnel, and provides compensation and support to active and former employees;
- Technical Support Office: Provides IT support and related assistance to the ministry's directorates;
- Internal Archives Office: Responsible for archiving all non-public Ministry of Interior data;
- Press Department: Represents the Ministry of Interior to the public via press conferences and official publications;
- Legal Department: Represents the ministry in the judicial system.