Palestinian President Abbas approves new government to address post-war Gaza reconstruction

Mahmud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, approved a new cabinet presented by Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa on Thursday, in a crucial step intended to confront the legacy of the recent fighting in Gaza.

Declaring his plans for the administration, Prime Minister Mustafa said, "The end of the war in Gaza will be the top national priority." He went on to detail the cabinet's intentions to work toward reunifying institutions, stressing that these efforts would "include assuming responsibility for Gaza."

The approval comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ramallah in January and pushed for administrative changes that would help Palestinians and perhaps bring Gaza and the West Bank back under one government.

Spokesman for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, emphasized upon the new administration's acceptance, saying, "We'll be looking for this new government to deliver on policies and to implement those credible and far-reaching reforms." Kirby also underlined how critical a revived Palestinian Authority would be to bringing about calm in Gaza and the West Bank.

With 23 ministers, three of whom are women and six of whom are Palestinians from Gaza, the new cabinet has a broad representation. Among the notable members is Maged Abu Ramadan, a former mayor of Gaza City.

Source: AFP