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Mohammad Mustafa

The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, named Mohammad Mustafa as the Prime Minister of the PA, the state-run Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on 14 March 2024. Mustafa replaces former Prime Minister Mohammed Shttayah who, along with his government, resigned in late February. In an 11-point plan, Abbas listed a set of reforms and goals that the Musatafa's government should seek to achieve during its term. The new Prime Minister was assigned to lead the relief efforts and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip and reform the institutions of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

On February 27, Abbas accepted the resignation of Shtayyeh's government and assigned the Prime Minister and his ministers to a caretaker government until a new one was formed. Shtayyeh had submitted his resignation a day earlier, and Abbas issued a decree of acceptance, assigning the government to work temporarily until the formation of a new government. The resignation decision was a preemptive step taken by Abbas in the face of pressures faced by the Palestinian Authority (PA) from regional countries, the international community, and the United States.

Mustafa, who helped organise the reconstruction of Gaza following a previous conflict, was assigned to lead the relief and rebuilding of the area, which has been shattered by more than five months of war, and reform Palestinian Authority institutions, according to the designation letter.

The decision aimed to put the ball in these sides' court to stop the war on the Gaza Strip, secure international guarantees for the full withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza, halt Israeli incursions into the occupied West Bank and lift the financial siege imposed on the Palestinian Authority. The resignation was the first step toward forming a new government and will be followed by two other steps: stopping the war in the Gaza Strip and achieving a national consensus for all Palestinian factions, including Hamas.

Abbas insisted on naming his economic advisor, Muhammad Mustafa, as the new head of the Palestinian government. According to informed sources, the United States has asked Abbas to form a technocratic government, where one of its tasks will be to manage the Palestinian sector in Gaza. The murky situation that dominated the Palestinian territories since Muhammad Shtayyeh submitted his resignation began to clear after it is likely that the Palestinian President will appoint the economic advisor Muhammad Mustafa in the coming hours or days to form the new Palestinian government. Although the American administration, through which it requested its National Security Advisor to lead it with renewed leadership in the Palestinian territories, was not satisfied with Mustafa’s nomination, Abbas became convinced that nominating any other name meant making it easier for the Americans to do what they plan to transform the position of President of the Authority into an honorary position and gather powers. Security and politics are in the hands of the new Prime Minister.

The White House welcomed the appointment of the new Palestinian prime minister, calling on him to form a government that works to implement “in-depth and credible reforms.” US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement, “We urge the formation of a reform government as soon as possible,” noting that “the United States will look forward to this new government being able to implement policies and carry out credible and in-depth reforms.” Officials in President Joe Biden's administration had previously explained that they had appealed to Abbas to pump new blood, including technocrats and economic specialists, into the revamped Palestinian Authority to help govern Gaza after the war. But they said they did not want to be seen as exerting pressure to approve or reject certain individuals.

Hamas on 15 March 2024 criticized the "unilateral" designation by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of an ally and leading business figure as prime minister with a mandate to help reform the Palestinian Authority (PA) and rebuild Gaza. Hamas said the decision was taken without consulting it despite recently taking part in a meeting in Moscow also attended by Abbas's Fatah movement to end long-time divisions weakening Palestinian political aspirations. "We express our rejection of continuing this approach that has inflicted and continues to inflict harm on our people and our national cause," Hamas said in a statement. "Making individual decisions and engaging in superficial and empty steps such as forming a new government without national consensus only reinforces a policy of unilateralism and deepens division."

A statement signed 15 March 2024 by four factions, namely the Hamas movement, the Islamic Jihad movement, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Palestinian National Initiative Movement, said: “In light of the Palestinian Authority’s insistence on continuing the policy of exclusivity, and ignoring all efforts Patriotism for Palestinian unity, and unity in the face of aggression against our people; We express our rejection of the continuation of this approach, which has caused and continues to harm our people and our national cause.”

The factions believed that “the highest national priority now is to confront the barbaric Zionist aggression and the war of extermination and starvation” and not “to form a new government.” The statement described President Abbas’s decision as “individual,” and added: “Making individual decisions, and being preoccupied with formal steps devoid of substance, such as forming a new government without national consensus; It is a reinforcement of the policy of exclusivity and a deepening of division, at a pivotal historical moment.”

Fatah used harsh language in its attack on Hamas, which described Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as disconnected from reality after the decision to assign Dr. Muhammad Mustafa to form a new Palestinian government. The Fatah statement came in response to the attack launched by Hamas and three Palestinian factions against President Mahmoud Abbas after he assigned Dr. Muhammad Mustafa to form a new Palestinian government.

Fatah said in a statement: “Whoever caused Israel’s reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, and caused the Nakba that the Palestinian people are experiencing, especially in the Gaza Strip, does not have the right to dictate national priorities.” Fatah believed that “the real disconnect from reality and from the Palestinian people is the leadership of the Hamas movement, which has not, until this moment, felt the magnitude of the catastrophe that our oppressed people are experiencing in the Gaza Strip and in the rest of the Palestinian territories.”

In its statement, Fatah expressed its astonishment and disapproval at Hamas’ talk of exclusivity and division, and wondered: Did Hamas consult the Palestinian leadership or any Palestinian national party when it made its decision to undertake the adventure of last October 7, which led to a more horrific and cruel catastrophe? From the Nakba of 1948? Did Hamas consult the Palestinian leadership and is now negotiating with Israel and offering it concessions after concessions, and that it has no goal other than for its leadership to receive guarantees for its personal security, and to try to reach an agreement with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu again to maintain its divisive role in Gaza and the Palestinian arena?

Fatah also considered that “the comfortable life that the Hamas leadership lives in seven-star hotels has blinded it to what is right.” Fatah called on the leadership of the Hamas movement to “stop its policy dependent on foreign agendas, and return to the national side.”

In his assignment letter, Abbas identified 11 points that he considered a priority for the next government:

1. The first priorities include leading and coordinating relief efforts in the Gaza Strip, moving from the humanitarian relief phase to economic recovery, and then organizing the reconstruction file and rebuilding what was destroyed by the Israeli war on the southern and northern governorates, provided that these efforts are within a clear vision that sets the features of a state. An independent Palestine with institutions, infrastructure and services.
2. The second priority included developing plans and implementation mechanisms for the process of reunifying institutions among the governorates of the country, as a single geographical, political, national, and institutional unit.
3. The third priority was to continue the reform process in all institutional, security, economic, administrative and public financial fields, to achieve a transparent governance system that is subject to accountability, combats corruption, and ensures the dignity and resilience of the citizen by raising the performance of services provided in all sectors.
4. The fourth priority depends on providing all possible support to the judicial system and empowering it to ensure the rule of law, security for citizens, speedy access to justice, guaranteeing their rights, strengthening the role of law enforcement agencies, and working with relevant authorities to strengthen the judiciary and its independence.
5. While the fifth priority is based on the process of building state institutions, empowering Palestinian youth and women, respecting public freedoms, and strengthening partnership between various parties, including civil society institutions, organizations, popular and youth activities, and Palestinians in diaspora and diaspora camps.
6. The sixth priority came under the title of promoting the economy and investment, including better exploitation of resources, rationalization of expenditures, advancement of service sectors, and infrastructure stimulating the economy, in partnership with relevant national authorities, especially the private sector.
7. The seventh priority depends on strengthening political, economic and cultural relations and cooperation with Arab and friendly countries, in a way that ensures achieving sustainable development, self-reliance and providing the necessities of a decent life.
8. The eighth priority is to strengthen the steadfastness of citizens, including continuing to defend the city of Jerusalem and its Christian and Islamic sanctities, and providing the elements for this also in marginalized areas in the face of occupation and colonial policies.
9. The ninth priority includes working to enhance the culture of partnership, dialogue, openness, inclusiveness, and participation in decision-making among components of society, and ensuring public and private freedoms in accordance with the law, most notably freedom of opinion and expression.
10. The tenth priority is to take the necessary measures and prepare to hold legislative and presidential elections in the northern governorates, including East Jerusalem, and the southern governorates, as soon as possible, in accordance with the Basic Law and relevant laws.
11. The eleventh priority is based on ensuring the freedom of the media to operate within the framework of applicable regulations and laws, which guarantee freedom of movement, media activity, and access to information sources and social media in accordance with the law.

Starting with the formation of a “government of technocrats,” through the establishment of a “trust fund” to finance the reconstruction of Gaza, and concluding with the holding of “presidential and parliamentary elections,” several “draft reforms” announced by the new Palestinian Prime Minister, Muhammad Mustafa, so what is the possibility of implementing them on the ground?

The former Minister of Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs, Ashraf Al-Ajrami, believes that the government's plan is "good", especially with regard to reforming and unifying the institutions of the Authority, reconstruction, and solving the problems of the Gaza Strip. But achieving all of these reforms is “linked to national consensus,” and without the approval of Hamas and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, nothing can be implemented in the Strip, according to what he told the Al-Hurra website. Al-Ajrami links the success of the new government to “achieving consensus” as well as “implementing its program fully,” because the Palestinian situation needs quick reforms, the unification of the West Bank with Gaza, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to Al-Hurra website, Palestinian political analyst, Adel Al-Ghoul, points out that the draft reforms “have nothing to do with the current Palestinian reality, near or far.” Muhammad Mustafa served as Deputy Prime Minister of Rami Hamdallah’s government, and resigned a few days after he was appointed to his position. His political influence is weak, he has no knowledge of the conditions in the Gaza Strip, and he has never visited the Strip before in his life, according to Al-Ghoul. Mustafa also served as Vice President of the Palestinian National Consensus Government, which was formed by Rami Hamdallah in June 2014. The Palestinian political analyst confirms that the new prime minister "does not have relations at the international level," and does not have "relations or political influence with Arab or Western countries."

For his part, Tayseer Nasrallah, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, confirms that Mustafa’s government “will face obstacles that are not the first to last.” The wording of the “draft reforms” appears, at first glance, to relate to “normal circumstances,” but the details indicate that there are “many problems” that will face the new prime minister, according to what he told the Al-Hurra website.

Mustafa developed a wide range of plans assigned to the new Palestinian government, which the United States demanded as part of its vision for Gaza after the war, according to the draft. In the draft, the new Palestinian Prime Minister indicates that he will appoint a “non-partisan, technocratic government” that can enjoy the trust of our people and the support of the international community, and pledges broad reforms in the institutions affiliated with the Palestinian Authority and a “zero tolerance” policy for corruption.

Al-Ghoul rules out Mustafa’s ability to “form a technocratic government,” due to the control of parties close to the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, led by the head of the Intelligence Service, Majed Faraj, and the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al-Sheikh. The Palestinian political analyst points out that these people will have the greatest influence in “choosing personalities,” and each of them will have “goals and interests” in appointing specific personalities.

Some names were leaked and they have nothing to do with “experts or technocrats,” and the Palestinian people have “youth capable of playing a role in the current and future phase,” but the Palestinian Authority is “isolating itself,” and there are “certain figures” who make decisions in choosing ministers and ambassadors, not Mustafa has the “last word” on this matter, according to Al-Ghoul.

The Palestinian political analyst confirms that choosing experts who have no connection to Fatah, Hamas, or the factions is "a very difficult matter." Nasrallah agrees with the previous proposal, which confirms “the difficulty of having Palestinian figures and (non-partisan) leaders.” He says: "It is difficult to have qualified people who do not have a party affiliation, unless Mustafa was talking about academics and figures working in the private sector."

The use of the term “non-partisan” government may be due to the fact that the new prime minister “will not engage in negotiations with factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization or others,” under the name of searching for “technocratic figures,” according to a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council. But on the other hand, Al-Ajrami confirms that there are many independent Palestinian competencies capable of being members of a “technocratic” government, but the government needs “national consensus between the factions” in order for it to succeed.

Inside and outside the Palestinian territories, it is possible to find figures who meet the conditions of “technocrats” and are experts in multiple fields within the framework of the government’s priorities and program, according to the former Minister of Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs.

According to Mustafa’s draft, the Palestinian Authority plans to hold presidential and parliamentary elections, but he did not provide time frames for that, saying that it depends on “the reality on the ground” in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas captured by Israel in the 1967 war, which he wants. The Palestinians establish their future state on it.

The last Palestinian presidential elections were held in 2005, while the last legislative elections were held in 2006. The Palestinian leadership has been divided since the armed confrontations that took place between the Fatah and Hamas movements in the Gaza Strip in June 2007, as a result of which Hamas overthrew Abbas's authority from the Strip.

Since the bloody fighting between elements of the two movements, Hamas had the sole control over the Gaza Strip, which is inhabited by two million and three hundred thousand Palestinians, while the presence of the Palestinian Authority is limited to the West Bank occupied by Israel. Since Hamas took control of Gaza, Arab and international efforts have so far failed to reconcile it with the Fatah movement, which forms the backbone of the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinians want the two areas to be the basis for the establishment of their independent state in the future, and Hamas said that any attempt to exclude it from the political scene after the war is an “illusion.” Al-Ghoul confirms that the first stage for holding “presidential and legislative” elections and unifying the Palestinian territories is “ending the Palestinian division,” especially between the Fatah and Hamas movements.

Elections cannot be held before “Gaza is rehabilitated” until it returns at least to what it was before the October 7 War, according to Al-Ghoul. As for the West Bank, it is in a "tragic situation": camps are constantly being invaded and settlements are being established, and there is dissatisfaction with the role of the Palestinian Authority during the war in Gaza, according to the Palestinian political analyst. Al-Ghoul links the possibility of holding elections to “the end of the war, the end of the division, and the achievement of Palestinian-Palestinian consensus.”

For his part, Al-Ajrami points out that Hamas may not be able to “regain control of the Gaza Strip and rule it,” but it can “thwart anything it does not agree to.” Therefore, the basic criterion is “compatibility with the factions” with regard to unifying authority between the West Bank and Gaza and holding “presidential and parliamentary” elections, according to the former Minister of Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs.

As for Nasrallah, he stresses the difficulty of holding elections “without knowing the fate of Gaza and the end of the war,” and asks: “How can elections be held in this rubble, ruin, and destruction?” There are daily Israeli invasions in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and in light of the war in Gaza, the “government program and its reforms” will face many obstacles that will make it “difficult to implement.”

The Palestinian Authority, which was established 30 years ago under the Oslo Peace Accords, exercises limited rule over areas of the West Bank, but lost power in the Gaza Strip after a conflict with Hamas in 2007. The influence of the Palestinian Authority has weakened greatly over the years, and surveys show that its “popularity is weak among the Palestinians,” but it remains the only leadership body generally recognized by the international community, according to Reuters.

Abbas, who is 88 years old, heads the Palestinian Authority, and his popularity among Palestinians has declined significantly over the years, and he is being criticized for his “inability” in the face of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing escalation in the West Bank, according to Agence France-Presse.

Mustafa is a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization led by Abbas, which recognized Israel at the beginning of the peace process in 1993 with the hope of establishing a Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 war, namely the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

Although Mustafa is close to Abbas, he is not a member of Fatah, which may make him less controversial. In addition, Mustafa will face a huge administrative and diplomatic task after large areas of Gaza have now turned into rubble and most of its 2.3 million people have been displaced and in need of aid. The West Bank is also witnessing the worst violence in decades. In addition to the task of supervising expected international aid amounting to billions of dollars, Mustafa will need political support from Hamas and its supporters and cooperation from Israel, which wants to eliminate the movement.

In an interview with Al-Alam Camera, the director of the Masarat Center for Studies, Hani Al-Masry, noted that: "The American administration wants the authority to be more responsive to American and Israeli conditions, and more capable of combating and preventing resistance and liquidating its infrastructure, so that it will be accepted.

"The expected Palestinian government will not have a political character, but rather it will be a government of experts or what is known as a government of technocrats. The government, whether headed by Mustafa or someone else, its role will be linked to the day following the war on the Gaza Strip or before that, from distributing aid and managing the affairs of the Strip in coordination with the Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"According to American officials, this role will end the role of Hamas, Iran, and Qatar in the Gaza Strip, but others believe that the government will not succeed without coordination with the resistance, which still owns the land after five months of war."

Writer and political analyst Khalil Shaheen said: "The United States is very consistent with Israeli policy, as the trend in Israel is to restart the Palestinian reality in the West Bank as is the case in the Gaza Strip, and this means for the Biden administration as well as the Netanyahu government, is to work on restructuring the tasks and functions of the Palestinian Authority.

"In any case, the United States has its goals, and the occupation has its goals... but whether these goals are achieved or not depends on who has the last word in the field. How many maps were drawn and lost their purpose... How many plans were drawn up and failed in the last moments... As long as the war has not ended and the resistance is on the ground, not all of the players’ conversations will become reality."

In a speech in Davos, Mustafa described the October 7 attack as “unfortunate for everyone.” "But it is also a symptom of a larger problem... that the Palestinian people have been suffering from for 75 years without stopping," he said. He added, "We still believe to this day that establishing a state for the Palestinians is the way forward, so we hope that this time we can achieve that, so that all people in the region can live in security and peace."

Mustafa said the Palestinian Authority can do better in terms of building more efficient institutions and more rational governance “so that we can reunite Gaza and the West Bank.” But he added: "If we cannot remove the occupation, no reformist government or reformed institutions will be able to build a good and successful governance system or develop a suitable economy." He stated on January 17 that rebuilding homes alone would require $15 billion. He said he would continue to focus on humanitarian efforts in the short and medium term, expressing his hope that Gaza's borders would be opened and a reconstruction conference would be held.

In response to a question about the future role he expects for Hamas, Mustafa also said that “the best way forward is for (the process) to be as comprehensive as possible,” adding that he would like the Palestinians to unite around the PLO’s agenda. Palestinian leaders hope that he will now emerge as a figure to unite the factions in light of his readiness to rebuild the Gaza Strip, five months after the Israeli bombing that followed the Palestinian movement’s attack on Israel on the seventh of last October.

Dr. Mustafa was born in 1954 in the city of Tulkarm in the West Bank. He is married with 2 children. He holds PhD and Master degrees from the George Washington University and a BSc degree from Baghdad University.

Dr. Mohammad Mustafa is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) , with assets amounting to approximately $1 billion to finance projects throughout the Palestinian territories. At PIF, Dr. Mustafa is focused on impact and innovation - two themes that have defined his career. He has launched a number of leading Palestinian companies, including PalTel [Palestine Telecoms Company], Wataniya Mobile / Ooredoo Palestine, Ammar and Aswaq and has built a diversified portfolio with more than 60 major investments covering several sectors including Islamic banking, telecommunication, real estate, industry, oil and gas, renewable energy, and healthcare. As Chairman, Palestine Investment Fund, he was Chairman of several PIF-owned companies, including Khaznah Investment Company, Aswaq Investment Company, Sanad Construction Resources Company, Masder Energy and Infrastructure Company, and Palestine Power Generation Company.

In the public sector, Dr. Mustafa served as Deputy Prime Minister of Economic Affairs, between 2013 -2014, and also as Minister of National Economy in 2014. During his time in government, Dr. Mustafa led the Cabinet’s economic committee and led several major national economic initiatives including Gaza reconstruction plan of 2014 after a previous seven-week warr between Israel and Hamas in which more than 2,100 Palestinians were killed.

He currently serves as the Governor of Palestine on the Board of the Arab Monetary Fund. He previously served as the Governor of Palestine on the Board of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.

On the international front, Dr. Mustafa had held several senior positions across a variety of sectors at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. over a period of fifteen years (1991-2005). As a prominent expert on investment and economic affairs, Dr. Mustafa had served as an Economic Advisor to the Government of Kuwait on economic reform, and an Advisor to the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Mustafa had also served as a as Visiting Professor at the George Washington University. He is a regular participant at the World Economic Forum (Davos) and the Future Investment Initiative (Riyadh).

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