1 of 1 Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced his resignation during a cabinet meeting next to a portrait of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Photo: Zain Jaafar/AFP Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh next to a portrait of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced his resignation during a cabinet meeting Photo: Zain Jaafar/AFP
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced his resignation from office this Monday (26). He is a member of the Palestinian Authority (ANP), a party founded 30 years ago that exercises limited control over parts of the occupied West Bank but lost power in Gaza after a battle with Hamas in 2007.
“I presented the government's resignation to the president on February 20 and am handing it over in writing today,” Shtayyeh said, explaining that the decision would be made “in light of the facts related to the aggression against the Gaza Strip and the escalation in the West.” Bank and Jerusalem”.
Since the war in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, 2023, the President of the Palestinian State, Mahmoud Abbas, has been criticized for his “impotence” in the face of Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip and the increase in violence in the occupied West Bank.
“[O novo momento] Governmental and political agreements will be required that take into account the emerging reality in Gaza as well as the urgent need for interPalestinian consensus,” Shtayyeh said. In addition, “the expansion of the Palestinian Authority (PNA) to the entire territory is necessary.”
Shtayyeh said Gaza must enter a new phase of governance due to the new reality in the region. The Palestinian Prime Minister took office in 2019.
However, Shtayyeh's resignation has yet to be accepted by Abbas, who may ask him to remain in an interim role until a replacement is named.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and said it would not accept the Palestinian Authority's (PNA) rule over Gaza for security reasons after the war that killed around 1,200 Israelis and nearly 30,000 Palestinians.
Efforts have been made by the largest Palestinian political party, Fatah, and the terrorist group Hamas to reach an agreement on a unity government and are due to meet in Russia on Wednesday (28) to discuss the matter.
“Shtayyeh’s resignation only makes sense if there is a national consensus on preparations for the next phase.” [de Gaza]” Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas member, told Portal.