Breaking News: Palestinian Authority Unveils Surprising New Cabinet Amidst Global Pressure!

The Palestinian Authority has recently announced the establishment of a new Cabinet amidst growing international pressure for reforms. President Mahmoud Abbas, who has led the PA for nearly two decades, unveiled the new government through a presidential decree. Interestingly, none of the incoming ministers are well-known figures.

Mohammad Mustafa, a long-time advisor and a politically independent U.S.-educated economist, was chosen by Abbas to be the prime minister. Mustafa had previously pledged to form a technocratic government and establish an independent trust fund to aid in the reconstruction of Gaza.

While several incoming ministers are from Gaza, it remains unclear if they are currently present in the territory. Ziad Hab al-Rih, the Interior Minister, is a member of Abbas' secular Fatah movement. Additionally, Ashraf al-Awar, the incoming minister for Jerusalem affairs, had registered as a Fatah candidate in the indefinitely postponed 2021 elections.

The Palestinian Authority administers portions of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, having been driven out of Gaza when Hamas seized power in 2007. However, it holds little popular support or legitimacy among Palestinians, largely due to its failure to hold elections in the past 18 years. Moreover, its security cooperation with Israel is widely unpopular, with many Palestinians viewing it as complicit in the occupation.

Surveys have consistently shown that a vast majority of Palestinians want the 88-year-old Abbas to step down. The United States has called for a revitalized PA to oversee post-war Gaza as a step towards eventual statehood. In contrast, Israel has rejected this proposal, insisting on maintaining indefinite security control over Gaza and working with non-PA or Hamas affiliated Palestinians. Hamas, in turn, has dismissed the new government as illegitimate, advocating instead for a power-sharing government comprising all Palestinian factions before national elections.

Hamas has also cautioned Gazans against collaborating with Israel, threatening to treat collaborators as traitors, which is often seen as a death sentence.