Who is Mohammad Mustafa? Abbas' Longtime Advisor and New Palestinian Prime Minister

Ramallah – Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank named the region's new Prime Minister. On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appointed his longtime economic adviser Mohammad Mustafa as the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA which is governing the West Bank is touted as a crucial part of West's postwar vision for Gaza. Mustafa is a US-educated technocrat who is known as one of the close advisors of Abbas. In recent months, the Palestinian President has received significant pressure from the United States and others to usher in reform within the administration so that it can be involved in the postwar settlement plan. 

The resignation of Former PA PM Mohammad Shtayyeh paved the way for these reforms. However, it is still unclear if the appointment of the new Cabinet would be sufficient enough for Washington's aspirations since the 88-year-old president would continue to remain in overall control, Politico reported. In light of this, many believe that Mustafa is too close to Abbas and some even consider his appointment as Abass's way to “cling on to the power”. “[Mustafa] doesn't have his own constituency and he has been seen as being too close to Abu Mazen,” Ghaith Al Omari, a former adviser to the Palestinian negotiating team told The National News. “So ultimately, what's going to happen is, Abu Mazen will try to maintain the key authorities with himself, which is security and finance,” he added.

Who is Mohammad Mustafa?

According to The National News, Mustafa served as a senior economic adviser to the Palestinian president for almost two decades. He is touted as one of the most competent financial specialists in the Middle Eastern region. Mustafa was born in 1954 and received his education in Iraq and the United States before he had a long career in finance and business. In 2009, he led the Palestine Investment Fund which was established by the PIA in 2003 to promote the growth of infrastructure, real estate and telecoms in the Palestinian territories. Mustafa was also responsible for the founding of the Palestine Telecommunications Company (PalTel), alongside other businesses including Wataniya Mobile / Ooredoo Palestine.

He was the Deputy Prime Minister of PA between 2013 and 2014 and is an independent member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Executive Committee. Despite serving as deputy prime minister, Mr Mustafa is seen as having no close links to the main political factions in Palestinian politics. “He's not a known figure. He's maybe a known name but he's not a known figure. And he has no political agenda, he is a political independent. So he doesn't have a political base,” said Al Omari. 

West Expresses Content

Meanwhile, the United States said that it  "welcomes the appointment" of Mustafa and called for "the formation of a reform cabinet as soon as possible," the National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement issued by the White House. “A reformed Palestinian Authority is essential to delivering results for the Palestinian people and establishing the conditions for stability in both the West Bank and Gaza,” she added. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron echoed similar sentiments on X, formally known as Twitter.

“I welcome the appointment of Mohammad Mustafa as Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority,” the former British Prime Minister wrote on X. “The formation of a new Palestinian government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package, is one of the vital elements for a lasting peace,” he added.