Mahmoud Abbas expected to name insider as Palestinian Authority PM

Source: The Straits Times

JERUSALEM - President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority intends to appoint Mr Mohammad Mustafa, a close economic adviser, as prime minister in the coming days, according to two Palestinian officials, a European Union diplomat and a fourth person with knowledge of the matter.

If Mr Abbas officially appoints Mr Mustafa, it would amount to a rejection of international efforts to encourage the octogenarian Palestinian leader to empower an independent prime minister who can revitalise the sclerotic authority, officials and analysts said.

While Mr Abbas was set on appointing Mr Mustafa, a long-time insider within the authority's top ranks, he was still holding final consultations with Arab countries before signing a presidential decree entrusting Mr Mustafa with putting together a new government, one of the Palestinian officials and the EU diplomat said.

They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to communicate with the media.

Mr Abbas could change his mind, and a decision to appoint Mr Mustafa will only be final if Mr Abbas signs a decree.

After the Palestinian Authority president appoints a prime minister, that person has three weeks to form a government but can take an additional two weeks, if needed, according to Palestinian basic law.

In late February, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh tendered the resignation of his Cabinet, citing the need for a new government that "takes into account the emerging reality in the Gaza Strip." Mr Shtayyeh's government has continued in a caretaker capacity.

Hamas led a deadly assault from Gaza into Israel on Oct 7, and Israel has answered with intense bombardment and an invasion, vowing to break the group's grip on the enclave.

But those events have raised difficult questions about how a post-war Gaza will be governed and rebuilt.

The Palestinian Authority has limited governing powers on the West Bank. It lost control of Gaza to Hamas in a 2007 power struggle.

The United States has been calling for reforming the widely unpopular Palestinian Authority in recent months, hoping it could eventually assume the reins of governance in Gaza after the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has rejected any such role for the authority.

Much of the Palestinian public sees the Palestinian Authority as tainted by corruption, mismanagement and cooperation with Israel.

With no functional Parliament within the areas controlled by the authority, Mr Abbas, 88, has long ruled by decree, and he exerts wide influence over the judiciary and prosecution system.

There has been no presidential election in the Palestinian territories since 2005, and no legislative election since 2006.