New Palestinian government sworn in, ending war on Gaza 'top priority'
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Newly-appointed premier Mohammad Mustafa says his cabinet "will work on formulating visions to reunify the institutions, including assuming responsibility for Gaza."
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas poses for a picture with the new Palestinian government after it was sworn in on March 31, 2024, in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH/AFP)
A new Palestinian government that includes both Palestinians from Gaza and four women was sworn in on Sunday.
In late February, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh's government.
Newly-appointed Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said his government's "top national priority" was ending the war on Gaza as he named his new team.
He said his cabinet "will work on formulating visions to reunify the institutions, including assuming responsibility for Gaza."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to make "administrative reforms" when the two met in January.
Mustafa, an economist and longtime Abbas advisor, said the "reconstruction" of the Palestinian territories was his main goal.
His new cabinet comprises 23 ministers and includes four women and six ministers from Gaza, among them former Gaza City mayor Maged Abu Ramadan who has been given the health portfolio.
Among the new female faces is Varsen Aghabekian, a Palestinian-Armenian academic who will work alongside Mustafa in the Foreign Ministry, which he will lead.
An informed source told Al Mayadeen in late February that the resignation of Shtayyeh's government was a preemptive step taken by Abbas in the face of pressures faced by the Palestinian Authority (PA) from regional countries, the international community, and the United States.
According to the source, the decision aims to put the ball in these sides' court to stop the war on the Gaza Strip, secure international guarantees for the full withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza, halt Israeli incursions into the occupied West Bank, and lift the financial siege imposed on the Palestinian Authority.
The official source mentioned that the resignation was the first step toward forming a new government and will be followed by two other steps: stopping the war on the Gaza Strip and achieving a national consensus for all Palestinian factions, including Hamas.
