Mohamad Shtayé, the Palestinian prime minister, presented the resignation of his government to President Mahmud Abbas on Monday, citing the political, economic, and security crisis triggered by Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip and the renewed surge of violence in the West Bank.
“I have placed the government’s resignation at the disposal of the president”, Shtayé told a cabinet session, as reported by WAFA, the Palestinian News Agency.
“The decision comes in response to political, economic, and security developments related to the aggression against our people in Gaza and the escalating and unwarranted violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem”, he explained.
“A ferocious and unprecedented attack”
The prime minister elaborated that the Palestinian population and the Palestinian political system face “a ferocious and unprecedented attack, a genocide, forced displacement attempts, hunger as a tool in Gaza, intensified colonialism, and settlers’ terrorism, along with repeated incursions into refugee camps and communities in the West Bank.”
Shtayé also pointed to efforts to liquidate UNRWA, to disavow all signed agreements, and to a gradual annexation of Palestinian lands, as well as to efforts aimed at turning the Palestinian Authority into a security administration without political content.
“We will continue to confront the occupation, and the Palestinian Authority will persist in its struggle to establish a state on the land of Palestine,” he emphasized, noting that his government has navigated through highly challenging circumstances, including Israel’s appropriation of funds that should be transferred to Palestinian authorities.
He recalled the government’s stance on the so-called peace plan known as the Century Deal, unveiled in 2020 by then U.S. President Donald Trump, arguing that the document aimed to end the Palestinian cause.
“This was followed by the coronavirus pandemic, which devastated humanity, the war in Ukraine and its economic repercussions, and ongoing Israeli government actions on colonization, killings, abuses, and what his government described as genocide against our people in Gaza, along with continued escalation in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and all Palestinian territories.”
Shtayé defended that his government managed to strike a balance between meeting the people’s needs and safeguarding political rights. He, however, suggested that the forthcoming phase and its challenges require new governmental and political agreements that reflect the new reality in Gaza, the unity talks, and the urgent need for intra-Palestinian consensus, including extending the Authority’s jurisdiction over the entire territory.
Abbas had not yet reacted to Shtayé’s announcement, and he had held the position since April 2019. Previously, Shtayé had served as the governor of the Bank of Palestine and had two stints as Minister of Public Works for the Palestinian Authority between 2005-2006 and 2008-2010.