The Civil Administration
- was established in 1981 to "manage the civil affairs in the region [in the occupied territories]". It replaced the military government, but is annexed to the Ministry of Defense and is subject to the coordinator of operations in the territories and thus to the Central Region Commander - so it isn’t really “Civil", and concern for the benefit or the well being of the residents is hard to find in the way it conducts itself.
It is in charge of all administrative aspects of Palestinian life in the Territories: Issuance of entry permits to Israel, movement permits within the Palestinian Authority, vehicle movement permits, work permits; land regulations; building and demolition permits; electricity, water, health, education. For each of those areas of Government responsibility an officer is appointed who coordinates the activity in the field vis-a-vis the Israeli government office and the Palestinian officials.
Contact with the civilian population is conducted through 8 offices of the DCL - District Coordination and Liaison (MATAK), which operate in Judea and Samaria. Currently only 3 crossings have an DCL representative, where it is possible to find out about restrictions, permits, and get a magnetic card: the Tarqumiya checkpoint in the southern West Bank, The Qalandiya checkpoint in the Jerusalem area, and the Shaar Efraim checkpoint in the central West Bank.
In mid-2019, the Civil Administration encouraged Palestinian residents to register for the administration's application, through which it is possible to request entry permits, removal of restrictions, and more. Registering for the application allows the security services access to all personal information.
Updated 1.2021 Anat