Palestinian President Approves New Government Formation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas approved the new Palestinian government formation headed by economist Mohamed Mustafa on Thursday, two weeks after his appointment. Following this, Mustafa stated that "the first national priority is to achieve a ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza." He added, "We will work on devising plans to reunify institutions, including assuming responsibility in Gaza." The Palestinian News Agency reported that the new government will take the oath of office before the president next Sunday. The agency published a copy of the proposed ministerial formation, in which Mustafa also serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.