Khaled Abu Toameh
Gatestone Institute, Mar. 1, 2024
“If the Shtayyeh government was already working on a plan to revamp the Palestinian Authority (as the US administration is demanding), why is he being asked to be replaced with another Abbas loyalist?”
On February 26, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh announced his resignation, paving the way for the formation of a new Palestinian government. The resignation came in response to pressure from the US administration on the Palestinian leadership to “revitalize” the Palestinian Authority (PA) so that it could assume control over the Gaza Strip after Hamas is removed from power.
Shtayyeh, who was appointed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas in 2019, is a veteran member of the ruling Fatah faction. The government he headed consisted of ministers affiliated with a number of political factions, as well as others known as independent technocrats.
Abbas is reportedly considering replacing the outgoing prime minister with Mohammed Mustafa, a senior PLO official who previously served as PA deputy prime minister and minister of economy. Mustafa, in addition, also served for many years as an economic advisor to the PA president.
Both Shtayyeh and Mustafa have long been closely associated with the Palestinian Authority president. They have both held senior jobs in various PA political and economic institutions, as well as Fatah and the PLO.
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