'Palestine needs a technocratic govt': Palestinian Authority says Hamas can't be part of govt for now

The Palestinian Authority’s Finance Minister Riyad al-Maliki ruled out the possibility of Hamas’ inclusion in the new government.

Hamas representatives and Fatah officials will hold meetings in Moscow to discuss the next steps in forming a government in Palestine days after the region’s Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh stepped down from office.

Ahead of the meeting, Miliki downplayed the possibility of Hamas joining the government in a coalition, adding that a “technocratic” government was needed, without the Islamist terror group.

“The time now is not for a government where Hamas will be part of it, because, in this case, then it will be boycotted by a number of countries, as happened before,” he told the UN Correspondents’ Association.

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“We don’t want to be in a situation like that. We want to be accepted and engaging fully with the international community,” he explained.

West Bank govt resigns

Earlier this week, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said he has stepped down from the post and has submitted his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas.

Explaining his decision to step down, Shtayyeh said: “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."

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Shtayyeh assumed office in 2019. His resignation comes amid mounting pressure on President Abbas from the United States to revamp the Palestinian Authority, align with international efforts to stop hostilities in Gaza and initiate the formation of a political structure for post-war governance.

What will the new govt in West Bank look like?

A new government in the West Bank can do more harm than good for the ongoing war in Gaza.

According to The Associated Press, former PM Shtayyeh will most likely be replaced by Mohammad Mustafa, a US-educated economist who has held senior positions at the World Bank and currently leads the Palestine Investment Fund.

Mustafa’s appointment in the post might be welcomed by the US, Israel and other countries as he is not aligned with any political.

Meanwhile, Abbas’s popularity has plummeted in recent years, with polls consistently finding that a large majority of Palestinians want him to resign. The PA’s security coordination with Israel is extremely unpopular, causing many Palestinians to view it as a subcontractor of the occupation.

With inputs from agencies