Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and his government tendered their resignations Monday, Feb. 26, leaving many pondering the next steps. The move comes under pressure from American and Middle Eastern leaders for the Palestinian Authority to reform its governance as conflict in Gaza and the West Bank escalates.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Feb. 7 to discuss changing the Palestinian Authority, hoping the group would be able to govern the Palestinian territories when the war ends.
Israeli leadership disagrees with the presumed goal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not accept Palestinian Authority rule over the territories. Netanyahu has also outright rejected a two-state solution.
Shtayyeh said he and the government were stepping down to help Palestinians determine their political future post-war. He said the next administration will have to consider the reality emerging in Gaza.
Israeli bombardment in the enclave has killed more than 30,000 people and left more than a million others homeless.
Currently, it’s estimated that 1.5 million Palestinians are living in homeless encampments in Rafah. These encampments are short on medical supplies, food and water, according to the Palestinian Health Authority.
“This decision comes based on the political, security and economic developments that are related to the offensive on our people in Gaza,” Shtayyeh said. “And the unprecedented escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and to what our people and Palestinian cause are facing, as well as our political system that had been aggressively attacked in an unprecedented manner, and based on the genocide, forced displacement and the starving of people in Gaza.”
Abbas accepted Shtayyeh’s resignation and made him a caretaker for the role while he seeks to find a replacement. Arab and Western governments have also discussed Abbas stepping down. Many Palestinians consider him and his administration to be corrupt and undemocratic, according to a poll conducted at the end of 2023. A timeline for replacing these officials is unclear.
There have been no new talks of holding new elections for Gaza or the West Bank. The last Gaza election was held in 2006 when Hamas won and took control of the enclave. There has not been another election since.
Fatah, the political party of the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas have repeatedly attempted to reach a unity agreement with each other over the years and have been unsuccessful. Now, the leaders of the groups are set to meet in Moscow on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
Abbas is expected to appoint Mohammad Mustafa, chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund, as the next prime minister, according to the Times of Israel.
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