Watan-The American website “Vox” shed light on the timing of the resignation of the government of Mohammad Shtayyeh, at a time when criticisms of the Palestinian Authority increased for its perceived “inability” to confront Israel in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The website suggested that Shtayyeh’s decision might not carry much weight in facing a “fossilized organization” led by the 88-year-old President Mahmoud Abbas, which faces an uncertain future after the war in Gaza.
Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh recently stated in his resignation statement: “I announced the resignation of my government to Mr. Mahmoud Abbas on February 20th, and today I submit it in writing… This decision comes as a result of the war in the Gaza Strip and the difficult situation in the West Bank.”
What does the future hold for Gaza and the West Bank?
Shtayyeh added that “the next stage requires governmental and political measures that take into account the situation in the sector and call for us to reach a Palestinian political consensus,” according to him.
The website “Fox” quoted John Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as saying, “The issue was and still is Abbas, not Shtayyeh.”
Alterman added that “even if the Palestinian Authority forms a new technocratic government, as the United States and Arab countries want, most bureaucrats will remain the same.”
No fundamental change
The website, in an article written by journalist Ellen Ioanes, saw Shtayyeh’s resignation, though not signifying any fundamental short-term change, either for the Palestinian Authority or for the Palestinian people in general.
However, this move draws attention to the possibility that Palestinian representation needs to change.
The decision to dissolve the government may have been at Abbas’s request, to at least appear responsive to the demand for change coming from various fronts, both internally and externally.
This move came before the planned talks to form a national unity government between Fatah and Hamas this week in Moscow.
This move may also signal Hamas leadership’s decision to include national consensus on “arrangements for the next phase,” according to Ioanes.
The article pointed out that many major obstacles go beyond the internal politics of the Palestinian Authority, including Israel’s opposition to Palestinian Authority involvement in a post-war scenario.
Furthermore, Arab states, which could finance the reconstruction of Gaza, will not do so without a clear path towards establishing the future Palestinian state.
“Palestinian Authority: A fossilized organization”
The “Fox” website described the Palestinian Authority as a “fossilized organization,” adding that its strength and legitimacy in the eyes of Palestinians have weakened.
Ioanes attributed this view to reasons including “a mix of corrupt leadership, aggressive Israeli warfare, expansive settlement policies, and power struggles between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.”
The website also added that Shtayyeh’s resignation seems like a step towards responding to international pressures to prepare for a post-war future and to prepare governmental and political arrangements that take into account the new reality in Gaza and the urgent need for Palestinian (national) consensus.
However, the resignation of Shtayyeh’s government may not necessarily lead to “the changes desired by external and internal stakeholders, and there is no indication of the end date of the current Israeli war in Gaza, or what will happen to those living there when it ends.”