Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh resigns amid calls for reform
26 February 2024, 11:47
Palestine's Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, has stepped down as the country's leader amid what he describes as a 'genocide' in Gaza.
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Mr Shtayyeh announced his resignation on Monday, handing his letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
It comes amid mounting pressure from the US where his party's political structure is concerned.
The Palestinian leader, whose government, the Palestinian Authority, rules parts of the occupied West Bank, is said to have stepped down to allow the party to restructure following Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
It's likely to set the stage for a new technocratic government responsible for reconstructing Gaza after the conflict has ended.
“The decision to resign came in light of the unprecedented escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem and the war, genocide and starvation in the Gaza Strip,” Mr Shtayyeh said on Monday.
“I see that the next stage and its challenges require new governmental and political arrangements that take into account the new reality in Gaza and the need for a Palestinian-Palestinian consensus based on Palestinian unity and the extension of unity of authority over the land of Palestine,” he added.
Mr Shtayyeh took office in 2019 and was an academic economist prior to his appointment as Prime Minister.
His resignation still needs to be accepted by President Abbas, who could request he stay in power as caretaker until a replacement is found.
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The government known as the Palestinian Authority formed some 30 years ago under the interim Oslo peace accords.
The party continues to govern limited parts of the occupied West Bank after losing power to Hamas in Gaza in 2007.
"The resignation of Shtayyeh's government only makes sense if it comes within the context of national consensus on arrangements for the next phase," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
