The Palestinian Republic is an Arab state in the Middle East, established by the Federal State of Israel. It gained independence with aid from the Israeli government on November 15, 2009. It is a Parliamentary Democracy and its President is Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad. It is controlled by its government, named the Palestinian National Authority. The Palestinian Republic is made up of the former West Bank and Gaza Strip, making it a divided nation, separated by Israeli territory. The Palestinian Republic gained United Nations membership in late 2010 after being invited and supported by Israel to become a member.