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Palestine gets new govt under PM Mustafa, seeks immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa says in a cabinet statement that the first national priority is an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the enclave.

AFP

The new government is made up of 23 ministers, including three women and six Palestinians from Gaza. / Photo: AFP

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has approved the new government presented by Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, who aims to see it play a role in post-war Gaza.

Mustafa said on Thursday that the "top national priority" for the new government, whose members are set to take office on Sunday, would be the end of the war in Gaza.

He added that his cabinet "will work on formulating visions to reunify the institutions, including assuming responsibility for Gaza".

Mustafa, an ally to President Abbas and a leading business figure was appointed premier this month with a mandate to help reform the Palestinian Authority (PA), which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

He was also assigned to lead the relief and rebuilding of Gaza, which has been shattered by more than five months of war, while he performs double duty as foreign minister, replacing Riyad al-Maliki who had served in the position since 2009.

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'Ceasefire — A national priority'

Mustafa said in a cabinet statement addressed to Abbas that the first national priority is an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, in addition to allowing humanitarian aid to enter in large quantities and reaching all areas, WAFA reported.

"In order to enable the launch of the recovery process and preparation for reconstruction, stop the aggression and settlement activities, and curb settlers' terrorism in the occupied West Bank," Mustafa added.

The new government is made up of 23 ministers, including three women and six Palestinians from Gaza, among them former Gaza City mayor Maged Abu Ramadan.

The fighting and destruction in Gaza which the Palestinian movement, Hamas took over from Abbas's government in 2007 has piled pressure on the Palestinian Authority.

In his first public appearance after his nomination, Mustafa talked of "transparency" and "zero tolerance" for corruption.

Abbas's recent measures have so far done little to reassure diplomats eager to find an able and reliable Palestinian partner when the war ends.