Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah Party responded to criticism by Hamas and other Palestinian political factions over his appointment of Mohammed Mustafa as the new prime minister.
The appointment was made after Mohammed Shtayyeh and his cabinet resigned en masse, which at the time signaled a willingness by the Western-recognized Palestinian leadership to accept a revamp that could initiate necessary political reforms to revitalize the Palestinian Authority.
Mustafa, a long-time economic adviser for the Palestinian Authority, was appointed prime minister on Thursday, March 14. According to Agence France Presse, Abbas tasked him with forming a new government with limited powers in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Hamas: Fatah Makes 'Individual Decisions'
However, other Palestinian factions said in a statement on Friday (March 15) that accusing Fatah of "making individual decisions and engaging in formal steps that are devoid of substance, like forming a new government without national consensus, reinforces a policy of exclusion and the deepening of division."
The Hamas-led statement added that Fatah's actions created a "huge gap between the [Palestinian] Authority and the people, their concerns and their aspirations."
Aside from Hamas, other signatories included the Palestinian Islamic Jihad-which has been fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza-as well as the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian National Initiative, a political party seeking to be a third option between Fatah and Hamas.
Shtayyeh resigned less than three weeks ago, citing the need for change after the Hamas attack of October 7 triggered war with Israel in Gaza.
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Fatah Response: Hamas Made Catastrophe Worse than 'Nakba'
Fatah responded to Hamas late Friday, accusing the Islamist movement in a statement of "having caused the return of the Israeli occupation of Gaza" by "undertaking the October 7 adventure," and causing a "catastrophe even more horrible and cruel than that of 1948," referring to the Arab-Israeli War of 1948 and its aftermath of displacement and expulsion, which Palestinians and their supporters call "The Nakba."
"The real disconnection from reality and the Palestinian people is that of the Hamas leadership," the Fatah statement read, further accusing Hamas of not having "consulted" the other Palestinian leaders before launching its attack on Israel.
Control of the Palestinian territories was split in 2007 when Hamas took over Gaza, and Fatah retained the West Bank, which Israeli authorities call Judea and Samaria.
Analysts have said Mustafa's closeness to Abbas would limit chances for major reform of the Palestinian Authority.
The United States and other powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of all Palestinian territories after the war ends. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has rejected post-war plans for Palestinian sovereignty.
