How was the Palestinian Legislative Council supposed to oversee the Palestinian Authority executive branch?

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Oslo Accords: Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Self-Rule — Palestinian Authority U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton (center) looking on as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (left) shakes hands with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat after the signing of the Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Self-Rule, September 1993.

Under the Basic Law, which serves as the interim constitution for the Palestinian Authority, the executive branch is designed to be accountable to the legislature. Specifically, the prime minister and the council of ministers, who hold primary executive authority, are subject to the confidence of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).1

This oversight mechanism requires the executive to maintain the support of the PLC to govern effectively. Additionally, the PLC possesses the authority to amend the Basic Law by a two-thirds majority, providing a legislative check on the executive framework. However, it is important to note that since 2007, the governance structure has been significantly altered; following factional violence and a declared state of emergency, the Palestinian Authority has been governed largely by presidential decree, and elections for the PLC have been indefinitely delayed.1