Palestinian PM Mustafa Presents Cabinet With 22 Ministers

On Thursday, Prime Minister Mohamad Mustafa presented to the president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) a new cabinet made up of 22 ministers, in which he also heads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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"Mustafa presented a work program and the composition of the government to President Mahmoud Abbas. Consequently, the president issued a decree-law granting confidence to the 19th government and issued a decree approving its formation," the WAFA agency reported.

As of its swearing-in next Sunday, the new cabinet will implement a plan whose priorities include increasing humanitarian aid in Gaza, the reconstruction of this enclave, and the creation of a stable Palestinian Authority.

Zyad Mahmoud Mohamed will be the Interior Minister and Omar Akram Al Bitar, a former PricewaterhouseCoopers executive, will be the Finance Minister. Sharhabel Yusef Sad Edin will serve as Justice Minister and Majid Awni Mohamed Abu Ramadan as Health Minister.

Among the Palestinian women who will hold high-level positions are Women's Affairs Minister Mona Muhamad Mahmoud al Jalili, Public Works & Housing Minister Ahed Faeq Atef Bseiso, and Social Development Minister Samah Abdel Rahim Hussein Hamad.

On March 14, Abbas appointed Mustafa as prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority, which controls the occupied West Bank in a fragmented manner. His appointment happened after the resignation of then-Prime Minister Mohamed Shtayeh.

This change was interpreted as part of Abbas's efforts to reform the ANP by forming a technocratic cabinet that can assume control of Gaza when the war ends. This possibility is in the plans of the United States but not in those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In December 2023, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Polling Research presented a study showing that 60 percent of Palestinians supported the dissolution of the National Authoritie and 92 percent called for Abbas to resign.

Although the PNA has lost internal support, it is the only institution accepted by Israel and a large part of the international community as an interlocutor for the Palestinians.