PM Shtayyeh-led Palestinian govt in West Bank hands in resignation

THE PALESTINIAN government in the occupied West Bank, led by Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, resigned yesterday.

Prime Minister Shtayyeh handed his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas as growing Israeli violence worsens the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Gaza Strip.

Abbas reportedly requested the resignation following pressure from Arab countries in the region and the United States, according to a report by broadcaster Watan TV, which cited government officials. There had been reports of his resignation for some time.

The move is seen as a step toward a reform of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to govern Gaza once Israel’s war is over.

Shtayyeh’s resignation is seen as a rather symbolic step, as it could open the door to the goal of a two-state solution – although many obstacles remain, including strong Israeli opposition.

Shtayyeh, who is considered a loyal collaborator of Abbas, has been in power since 2005 and will continue to serve as head of a provisional government. The formation of a new government could take weeks or months.

Its success would primarily depend on whether the war on Gaza could be ended and an internationally supervised withdrawal of Israeli forces from the coastal area could be achieved.

The Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of Abbas, administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The most important faction within it is the Fatah movement, which is also led by Abbas.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which is fighting Israel in Gaza, is not a member.

According to the U.S., a fundamentally reformed PA is to administer the Gaza Strip after the end of the Gaza war.

Israel vehemently rejects this plan as it does not want to see either Hamas or a Fatah-led PA as the governing power in Gaza.

A possible future role for the PA also includes the formation of a technocratic government with people with no party affiliation. In these concepts,

Hamas would join the Palestinian umbrella organization, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) without being represented in a future Palestinian government with its own ministers.