Palestinian PM Mustafa forms new Cabinet, calls for immediate ceasefire

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa formed a new Cabinet on Thursday in which he will also serve as foreign minister, making an immediate ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza a priority, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Mustafa, an ally of President Mahmoud Abbas and a leading business figure, was appointed premier this month with a mandate to help reform the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israelioccupied West Bank.

He was also assigned to lead the relief and rebuilding of Gaza, which has been shattered by more than five months of war. He performs double duty as foreign minister, replacing Riyad Al-Maliki, who had served in the position since 2009.

Abbas, who as president remains the most powerful figure in the PA, appointed the new government to demonstrate willingness to meet international demands for change in the administration. WAFA said he approved Mustafa’s Cabinet, which included financial expert Omar AlBitar as finance minister and Muhamad Al-Amour, who served as the president of the Palestinian Businessmen Association, as economy minister. He kept Ziad Hab Al-Reeh, former chief of the PA’s internal intelligence agency, as interior minister.

The new Cabinet, which includes eight ministers from Gaza, will also include a state minister for “relief affairs.” Mustafa said in a statement addressed to Abbas that the first national priority was an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, in addition to allowing humanitarian aid to enter in large quantities and reaching all areas, WAFA reported.