Middle East

US welcomes Mohammed Mustafa as Palestinian Authority’s new prime minister

The former senior World Bank official has the credentials to tackle the monumental task of rebuilding Gaza

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas (left) with Mohammed Mustafa after appointed him as the new prime minister in Ramallah, West Bank, on March 14th, 2024. Photograph: Palestinian Presidency/Anadolu via Getty Images

Michael Jansen
Fri Mar 15 2024 - 17:13

The US has welcomed the appointment of Mohammad Mustafa to head a technocratic government to overhaul the Palestinian Authority and reconstruct and rule devastated Gaza after Israel’s war with Hamas ends.

White House national security council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson urged the formation of a cabinet as soon as possible. “A reformed Palestinian Authority is essential to delivering results for the Palestinian people and establishing the conditions for stability in both the West Bank and Gaza,” she said.

A US-educated economist and longtime adviser to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas (88), Mr Mustafa succeeds Mohammad Shtayyeh, who resigned in February citing the need for change due to the Gaza war and violence in the occupied-West Bank.

Mr Mustafa (69) has the credentials to tackle the monumental task of rebuilding Gaza. As economy minister he oversaw this process after Israel’s 2014 military campaign. A former senior World Bank official, Mr Mustafa will also be expected to raise and allocate funds for Gaza. UN Conference on Trade and Development director Richard Kozul-Wright estimates rebuilding could cost $20 billion, four times more than a decade ago.

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Addressing the World Economic Forum in January, Mr Mustafa spoke of the “catastrophe and humanitarian impact” of Israel’s war on Gaza, where the Palestinian news agency reports 31,490 have been killed and 85 per cent of 2.3 million people displaced. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor says 70 per cent of Gaza’s civilian facilities and infrastructure has been destroyed.

Mr Mustafa’s choice of ministers could make or break his efforts to carry out his mission. New faces could convince many Palestinians that the discredited authority intends to reform and build bridges with Gaza. Palestinian analyst Hani al-Masri told the Associated Press, “The change that [the US] and the countries of the region want is not necessarily the change that the Palestinian citizen wants. People want a real change in politics, not a change in names... They want elections.”

Elections are not on the deeply unpopular Mr Abbas’s agenda as his Fatah lost the 2006 legislative election to Hamas, which would be likely to win if Palestinians vote again. The authority is regarded as corrupt and its security apparatus is accused of collaborating with Israel. Although 1,000 new police are set to be trained in Jordan they would be tainted by association with the authority.

To deliver reforms, funds, and reunification of the West Bank and Gaza, Mr Mustafa would have to count not only on US support from afar but also non-interference from occupier Israel. Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu rejects the return of the authority to Gaza. He has undermined Mr Abbas by dividing the West Bank into isolated enclaves which are constantly raided by Israeli forces and where the economy has tanked. Mr Netanyahu opposes the emergence of a Palestinian state, which the region and the international community regard as the solution to the Palestinian question.

Michael Jansen

Michael Jansen

Michael Jansen contributes news from and analysis of the Middle East to The Irish Times

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