RAMALLAH: Despite being sworn in on Sunday, the new Palestinian government—which has six ministers from Gaza and four women—was already met with resistance from its own populace.
As he unveiled his new team, newly appointed premier Mohammed Mustafa declared that putting an end to the war was his government’s “top national priority.”
An economist and longtime advisor to [President Mahmoud] Abbas, Mustafa stated that his primary objective was the “reconstruction” of the Palestinian territory, given that Gaza was left in ruins following nearly six months of intensifying Israeli assault.
There are six ministers from Gaza in his new cabinet, including Maged Abu Ramadan, the former mayor of Gaza City, who has been assigned to the health ministry. His new cabinet consists of 23 ministers in all.
Varsen Aghabekian, a scholar who is Palestinian-Armenian and will work in the foreign ministry, is one of the new faces.
Mustafa’s selection, according to a joint statement released earlier this month by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, will further widen the rift within the Palestinian community.
