Muhammad Mustafa (right) receives a letter of assignment from Abbas (Anadolu Agency)
Yesterday, Thursday, the White House welcomed the appointment of the new Palestinian Prime Minister, Muhammad Mustafa, and asked him to form a government that works to implement “in-depth and credible reforms,” after the Palestinian President assigned him to form a new government.
US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement, “We urge the formation of a reform government as soon as possible,” noting that “the United States looks forward to this new government being able to implement policies and carry out credible and in-depth reforms.”
The spokeswoman considered that reforming the Palestinian Authority was necessary to create the necessary conditions for stability in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, she said.
Yesterday, Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas assigned the economist Muhammad Mustafa to form a new Palestinian government, 3 weeks after Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh resigned from his position.
The Palestinian News Agency published the text of the presidential decree assigning the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestine Investment Fund, Mustafa (69 years old), to form the 19th Palestinian government.
The tasks of the new Prime Minister in the text of the assignment included coordinating reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip, reunifying Palestinian institutions, continuing reform leading to a system based on governance and transparency and combating corruption, and preparing to hold legislative and presidential elections in all Palestinian governorates, including occupied Jerusalem.
The Prime Minister-designate worked at the World Bank in Washington for 15 years, and held positions in Palestinian Authority institutions, most notably Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestine Investment Fund.
Muhammad Mustafa is described as politically independent. He was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy in the Government of National Accord that was formed in 2014. He continued in the position for one year, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Source: Al Jazeera + French