Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, approved on Thursday the composition of the government presented by his new Prime Minister, the economist Mohammed Mustafa, by an official decree. The 19th Palestinian government will be sworn in on Sunday, according to the official Wafa agency. This renewal comes at a time when the international community is pressing the president to undertake institutional reforms, particularly to prepare for the post-war period in the Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Mustafa, 69, was head of the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF). Former economic advisor to President Abbas, he held senior positions at the World Bank in Washington for 15 years. But beyond his skills, it is the governance of Mahmoud Abbas, reclusive in the West Bank, which is called into question. Nearly 78% of Palestinians were in favor of his resignation before the same on October 7.
Abbas “disconnected” from reality
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in power in Gaza, as well as Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP, Marxist)
slammed this appointment, accusing Mahmoud Abbas of being “disconnected” from reality. “Forming a new government without national consensus will aggravate inter-Palestinian divisions,” they warned in a joint statement. They denounce the “gap between the Authority and the Palestinian people”.
The countries of the region, the West and opponents of Mahmoud Abbas are pleading for a reformed Palestinian Authority which would ultimately be in charge of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, under the banner of an independent Palestinian state. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant proposed in January a plan for the future under which Gaza would no longer be controlled by Hamas but ultimately governed by “Palestinian entities” and not an Israeli administration.