Palestinians’ Musical Chairs

Replacing One Mohammed with Another Mohammed

The assumption that a new Palestinian government headed by Mustafa (or any other figure selected by Abbas) would be different than the one headed by Shtayyeh is deadly mistaken. The cabinet shake-up is an insignificant cosmetic change.

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 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.

As far as most Palestinians are concerned, there is no real difference between the two Mohammeds: Shtayyeh and Mustafa. They both belong to the same PA leadership that has been governing the Palestinians since the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO more than three decades ago.

By replacing one loyalist with another, Abbas is again playing musical chairs in an effort to appease the US administration and persuade it that he is serious about revamping the Palestinian Authority.

The assumption that a new Palestinian government headed by Mustafa (or any other figure selected by Abbas) would be different than the one headed by Shtayyeh is deadly mistaken. The cabinet shake-up is an insignificant cosmetic change.

The Palestinians do not need cosmetic changes in governance. Instead, they need new leaders who care about the interests of the people in addition to their own interests. Such potential leaders do exist, but they have no role to play because Abbas and his cronies in the West Bank have long been blocking the emergence of such leaders, whom they see as a threat to their authority. The same applies to the Iran-backed Hamas terror group that has for many years cracked down on political activists, journalists, and human rights advocates in the Gaza Strip.

Read It All…

See Also:

Taking a look underground: West Point expert reframes Hamas tunnel issue

Freighter Rubymar has sunk in Red Sea, Yemen internationally recognized government says

March for hostage deal enters Jerusalem; in first, US airdrops 35,000 meals into Gaza

The hate speech of an imam in Italy who accuses Israelis of not being Jewish

IDF on deadly Gaza stampede: ‘We didn’t fire at humanitarian convoy, we secured it’

Watch: