Watan-The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, a member of the Central Committee of Fatah movement, Mohammad Shtayyeh, announced today, Monday, the submission of his government’s resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas.
Shtayyeh said in his speech at the beginning of the cabinet session held in Ramallah, “I would like to inform the honorable council and our great people that I submitted the resignation of the government to President Mahmoud Abbas last Tuesday, and today I present it in writing.”
He added, “This is the president’s government, and he has the right to put things in their legal framework, in a way that enables him within the political system. My pledge for Palestine and our great movement will remain, and victory will be for our people.”
He continued, “I believe that the next stage and its challenges require new governmental and political arrangements, taking into account the current situation in the Gaza Strip, the national unity talks, the urgent need for Palestinian-Palestinian consensus based on a national foundation, broad participation, unity, and the assertion of the authority’s power over the entire Palestinian land.”
He concluded by saying, “Therefore, I submit the resignation of the government to the president, to take the necessary steps to serve our great people and the unity of its militant forces.”
Behind Shtayyeh’s resignation
Palestinian reports linked the step of Shtayyeh’s government resignation to American pressures, where the Palestinian Media Center stated that American officials had demanded, after meetings with Abbas, reforms within the Authority in preparation for the coming phase, including, according to media leaks, the demand for the dismissal of Shtayyeh’s government.
In addition, the past few days have seen reports of Palestinian factions agreeing to form a new government.