Established by
Israel in 1981 by military order as a part of the
Israeli Defense Ministry, the Civil Administration currently oversees all civil matters for Jewish Israeli settlers and
Palestinian residents in Area C of the
West Bank, as well as some administrative matters for Palestinians living in other areas of the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip. Before the
Oslo Accords, the Civil Administration was the governing body in all the Occupied Palestinian Territories; since 1994, most of its functions have been transferred to the
Palestinian Authority for civil matters in Areas A and B. Today, the Civil Administration primarily is responsible for issuing travel permits from the West Bank and Gaza to Israel and within the West Bank, work permits for Palestinians entering Israel to work, in addition to any kind of construction permits or demolitions in Israeli settlements and on Palestinian land in Area C. For more on the Civil Administration's construction permit and house demolition practices, see "
Israel: Halt Home Demolitions," Human Rights Watch, June 23, 2011.