Muhammad Mustafa, the new Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader, submitted his cabinet’s working plan to PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
The document states that "the first priority is an immediate ceasefire, a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the granting of permission for the entry of humanitarian aid in large quantities and its arrival in all areas urgently and without delay to enable the beginning of the recovery process and preparations for rehabilitation, the cessation of aggression and settlement activity, and curbing settler terrorism in the West Bank."
Mustafa noted that "these steps require the return of all displaced persons to their areas without delay" and stressed that "the source of the government's political authority is the PLO, its political plan, its international commitments and the letter of authorization from the Honorable President Mahmoud Abbas."
"The government is obligated to rely on a national strategy that states that any diplomatic activity must strive to realize the overall national vision under the leadership of the PLO, through the end of the Israeli occupation and the realization of the national rights of the Palestinian people, the establishment of the independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and its capital East Jerusalem on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions, and the solution of the Palestinian refugee problem in accordance with Resolution 194."
The new PA cabinet leader also stated that "the government will work to reunify the Palestinian institutions in the Palestinian Authority and the Gaza Strip on the basis of geographical, political and national unity. This means that it will work to gain actual control of the Gaza Strip and also that it will work to strengthen its firm position in Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley and in Area C and fight against crime."
Mustafa stated that he intends to promote unity with all parties in the Palestinian Arab arena, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The document handed over to Abbas made no reference to the fight against terrorist organizations or the terrorist activity directed against Israel.
Mustafa replaces former cabinet leader Mohammed Shtayyeh who, along with his government, resigned in February.
His appointment earlier this month was welcomed by the US, which is pushing for reforms in the PA so that it can govern Gaza after the war.