The appointed Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, sent a message to President Mahmoud Abbas regarding his acceptance of the mandate to form the 19th government. In the message, he stated: “I am aware of the gravity of this stage that our national cause is going through and the difficult circumstances faced by our steadfast people, as well as the magnitude of the existing challenges, especially in light of the repercussions of this aggression against our people, which has continued for six months and resulted in tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, hundreds of thousands displaced, and the destruction of homes, infrastructure, hospitals, schools, universities, mosques, churches, and roads in the beloved Gaza Strip. We reiterate your position that there can be no state without Gaza, nor a state in Gaza, away from the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
In addition to this aggression, he mentioned the crimes of killing, destruction, incursions, settler terrorism, and ongoing arrests in other parts of our homeland, specifically in the city of Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the State of Palestine, against the backdrop of financial and economic blockade and the piracy of our funds practiced by the Israeli government.
Mustafa continued: "However, we believe that what our people are suffering from aggression necessitates more efforts for unity of ranks and the continuation of political and diplomatic work on the Arab and international arenas, all of which are continuations of struggle rounds on the path to freedom and independence, led by the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The government’s work within the priorities you have mandated us is nothing but a fundamental pillar of resilience, construction, and liberation."
In his message to Abbas, he emphasized that "the government will work, upon your approval of its formation, to execute the tasks outlined in the letter of assignment, according to the applicable laws and procedures, and according to immediately executable priorities, within a medium and long-term strategy that enables it to fulfill its responsibilities, foremost of which is alleviating the suffering of our people, especially in the Gaza Strip, and providing all forms of support and relief to our people there. We will prepare from this moment for economic recovery and reconstruction operations, elevate the performance of national institutions, and unify them between the northern and southern governorates, continue and strengthen programs for reforms, combat corruption, openness, and accountability, and work in parallel to address the financial crisis and launch a national workshop to move from the state of crisis to economic development."
Mustafa stated that "defending the city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sanctities will certainly continue, empowering citizens in marginalized and targeted areas to enhance their resilience on their homeland. All of this will be within a framework that reinforces transparency and good governance, ensures public freedoms, freedom of the press, and participation with all community components. These priorities will be reflected in the government’s work program."
