Palestinian Prime Minister resigns, wants to create consensus

The move comes as the parties begin to build a political structure to govern Gaza after the war, putting pressure on President Mahmoud Abbas to perfect the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. Photo: Reuters

Mr Shtayyeh's resignation must still be accepted by President Abbas, who could ask him to stay on as interim leader until a permanent replacement is appointed.

In a statement, Mr. Shtayyeh, an economist who took office in 2019, said the next phase would need to take into account the new realities in Gaza, which has been devastated by nearly five months of fierce fighting.

The next phase, he said, would “require new political and governmental arrangements that take into account the emerging realities in the Gaza Strip, national unity negotiations and the urgent need for consensus among Palestinians”. In addition, it would need to “extend the authority of the Authority to the entire Palestinian land”.

The Palestinian Authority, established 30 years ago under the interim Oslo peace accords, is intended to exercise limited control over areas in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, where the PA was seized by Hamas in 2007.

Fatah, the group that controls the PA, and Hamas are trying to agree on a unity government and will meet in Moscow next Wednesday. A senior Hamas official said the move must be accompanied by a broader agreement on governance for the Palestinians.

“Shtayyeh’s resignation only makes sense if it comes in the context of a national consensus on agreements for the next phase,” said senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri.

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, AJ, CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/thu-tuong-palestine-tu-chuc-muon-tao-ra-su-dong-thuan-post285814.html