President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed long-time economic adviser Mohammad Mustafa as the next prime minister of Palestine. A presidential decree on Thursday (March 14) directed Mustafa to form a new prime minister and government. The US news agency AP reported the news.
As part of Washington’s plan for a post-war situation in Gaza, the United States has been pressuring the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank’s ruling group, to reform. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shatayeh resigned in February due to the situation created by the Israeli war in Gaza. Mustafa will replace him.
According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Mustafa now serves as chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund. He is a senior economic advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas and a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Mustafa, a US-educated economist and politician, will lead a technocratic government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
It is unclear how well the new cabinet, led by a close ally of Abbas, will meet US demands for reform. Because the 88-year-old president himself will be in overall control. However, Washington welcomed the appointment and called for the formation of a new cabinet quickly to bring about change.
Palestinian political analyst Hani al-Masri said that the changes that the United States and Middle Eastern countries want are not what the Palestinians want. People want real change in politics, not just in name. They want elections.
He said, Mustafa is a respectable and educated person. But he will struggle to meet the demands of the people to improve the situation in the occupied West Bank.
Mustafar was born in 1954 in the West Bank city of Tulkarem. He holds a doctorate degree in business administration and economics from George Washington University. Earlier he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
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