Mohammad Shtayyeh steps down as Palestinian PM over Gaza 'genocide'
Shtayyeh submitted his resignation during opening of Monday’s government meeting in Ramallah
February 26, 2024
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday announced his resignation to allow for a consensus among Palestinians on political arrangements following Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, according to Reuters.
Shtayyeh tendered his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas amidst mounting pressure from the United States to restructure the Palestinian Authority (PA) and put an end to the fighting in Gaza, as well as to start constructing a political framework to administer the enclave post-conflict.
Shtayyeh, who has headed the Palestinian Authority’s 18th government since his appointment in March 2019, submitted his resignation at the opening of Monday’s government meeting in Ramallah.
Announcing his resignation, Shtayyeh said he was moved to step down due to the "unprecedented escalation” in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, and the "war, genocide and starvation in the Gaza Strip".
Shtayyeh noted there are "efforts to make the (Palestinian Authority) an administrative and security authority without political influence, and the PA will continue to struggle to embody the state on the land of Palestine despite the occupation".
"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," he added.
