Mohammed Mustafa was involved in the reconstruction of Gaza after the 2014 Israeli invasion.
Ramallah, Palestinian Territory:
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed long-time trusted adviser on economic affairs Mohammad Mustafa as prime minister, the official Wafa news agency said on Thursday.
Mustafa’s appointment comes less than three weeks after the resignation of his predecessor, Mohammed Shtayyeh, citing the need for change following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the war with Israel in Gaza.
The 69-year-old leader now faces the task of forming a new government for the Palestinian Authority, which has limited powers in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Mustafa studied at George Washington University in Washington and is a member of the independent executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which is dominated by the ruling Fatah movement.
He served as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, held a board seat on the Palestinian Investment Fund and held several senior positions at the World Bank.
He also advises the Government of Kuwait and the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Since 2007, control of the Palestinian territories has been divided between Abbas’s Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Mustafa was involved in the reconstruction of Gaza after the 2014 Israeli invasion.
‘Right-hand man’
Palestinian analyst Abdul Majid Swerem told AFP that Mustafa’s appointment represented an attempt to strengthen Palestinian institutions and “…at a time when Abbas is under siege and pressure from Israel and the US” Closing some of the loopholes in the Palestinian Authority.”
Swellem added that Mustafa might be seen as “acceptable to Americans because he follows liberal lines.”
However, political analyst and author Khalil Shaheen said Mustafa’s close relationship with Abbas limited prospects for significant change.
“At the end of the day, this man (Mustafa) is still President Abbas’s right-hand man… Abbas wants to say he supports the reforms, but the reforms are still under his control,” Shaheen said.
The current Gaza war began after Hamas operatives attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 31,341 people, mostly women and children, according to the region’s health ministry.
During the war, violence in the West Bank reached levels not seen in nearly two decades.
According to the Ramallah Health Ministry, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 430 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began.
The United States and other major powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take over all Palestinian territories after the war ends.
Shortly after Shtayeh resigned in late February, Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah participated in Russian-sponsored talks to discuss the Gaza war and post-war plans.
Later, the factions said in a statement that they would take “unified action” against Israel.
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