By Moussa Al Wazir | Staff Writer
On February 26, 2024, the Palestinian Authority government, represented by Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, submitted its official resignation letter to President Mahmoud Abbas. In a televised press conference addressing the Palestinian street, Shtayyeh stated that the upcoming phase in Palestine will require “new governmental and political arrangements” that will consider Gaza’s current and future situation while having a strong sense of national unity that crushes all past conflicts. From his side, Abbas’s office announced that the Palestinian Authority president has accepted the resignation. However, he asked Shtayyeh and his cabinet to remain in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet was formed.
The resignation of Shtayyeh’s government is observed by many to be a result of an American intervention, where the White House and its allies imposed pressures on Ramallah to “revitalize and reform the Palestinian governance” by creating a technocratic government that would unite the West Bank and post-war Gaza.
Till today’s date, President Mahmoud Abbas hasn’t officially announced who Shtayyeh’s successor will be. However, many believe that Mohmmad Mostafa, a Palestinian economist, former World Bank official, and Chairman of the Palestinian Investment Fund will be appointed as the new prime minister. Additionally, Mostafa is seen by the Palestinian street as an “independent technocrat” who previously served as an economy minister and deputy prime minister in Rami Hamdallah’s 2014 government. Mohmmad Mostafa’s technocratic government is expected to be made of independent technocrats who are not affiliated with any political party, Hamas in particular, as Mostafa previously said, “The international community has made it very clear that they will not engage in any kind of high-level diplomacy with Hamas”.
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the notion of the Palestinian Authority government interfering in the affairs of running post-war Gaza, which proposes that Israel is aiming to maintain control over the West Bank and Gaza, further impeding and abolishing the possibility of a two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Sources:
https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/303590
https://time.com/6835263/palestinian-prime-minister-mohammad-shtayyeh-mustafa/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/26/what-is-palestinian-authority-explained/
https://www.bbc.com/arabic/articles/c25q5zkx7njo.amp
https://www.swissinfo.ch/ara/استقالة-رئيس-الوزراء-الفلسطيني-مع-تصاعد-الضغوط-بشأن-خطط-ما-بعد-الحرب-في-غزة/73037508
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/02/26/middleeast/palestinian-authority-prime-minister-resigns-intl/index.html
https://www.weforum.org/people/mohammad-mustafa/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Mustafa_(economist)