Palestinians seek unity with appointment of new PM
The Palestinian Authority’s appointment of a new prime minister amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza serves to project a semblance of unity, aiming to garner legitimacy and mitigate the ongoing conflict, experts said.
Ayman Yousef, a professor of international relations at the Arab American University in Jenin in the West Bank, said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is trying to convey these strategic messages, which he said “are political, some economic” and some “related to the political fragmentation or the future of the Palestinian political conciliation”.
On Thursday, Abbas appointed Mohammad Mustafa, his longtime economic adviser, to form the 19th Palestinian government.
In a statement announcing the appointment, Abbas asked Mustafa to put together plans to reunify administration in the West Bank and Gaza, lead reforms in the government, security services and economy and fight corruption.
Mustafa replaces Mohammad Shtayyeh who resigned in February amid pressure from the United States for reforms in light of the suffering of civilians brought about by Israel’s military retaliation against Palestinian militant group Hamas when the latter attacked Israel on Oct 7, leaving 1,200 Israelis dead and about 200 as hostages.
Washington welcomed his appointment, but urged Mustafa to quickly form a Cabinet to implement changes.
Mustafa was born in the West Bank town of Tulkarem in 1954 and earned a doctorate in business administration and economics from George Washington University. He has held senior positions at the World Bank and previously served as deputy prime minister and economy minister. He is currently the chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund.
Mustafa will head a technocratic government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that could potentially administer Gaza ahead of eventual statehood. But those plans face major obstacles, including strong opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel-Hamas conflict still grinding on with no end in sight, The Associated Press commented.
The relentless fighting has unfurled catastrophic humanitarian consequences, resulting in the deaths of more than 31,000 Palestinians so far.
Sending signals
“I think Abbas wants to send some signals, especially to the US and Europe, that he’s ready to change policies (and) the political structure in order to be ready for the coming assignments, including the situation in Gaza,” Yousef said.
“The humanitarian situation is really bad and Gaza needs a lot of work and (effort) so he wants to convey a message that Palestine is ready to handle these different missions and these different assignments.”
Further, Mustafa “is known to be a good professional” associated with international financial institutions such as the World Bank, Yousef added.
“He has many good relations with European countries and Arab Gulf countries, so Abbas sees or considers that Mohammed Mustafa is aiding and (is) capable of managing this internal financial crises,” Yousef said.
Arhama Siddiqa, a research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad in Pakistan, said the appointment of a new Palestinian prime minister amid pressure from the US “introduces a nuanced layer of intricacy to the current situation”.
Siddiqa noted that historically, US involvement in Palestinian affairs has been a “contentious subject”, given its close alliance with Israel and its pivotal role in mediating peace negotiations within the region.
“Such an occurrence could prompt apprehensions regarding the extent of US influence over internal Palestinian governance and decision-making mechanisms, potentially undermining the perceived credibility of the incoming premier and exacerbating existing factional divides,” Siddiqa said.