LONDON Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh of the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced his resignation on Feb 26, but it may be weeks before a replacement for him is announced.
It also remains unclear whether his departure is a prelude to a proper overhaul of the PA or just a move to gain time while various Palestinian factions jostle for power.
Mr Shtayyeh's resignation was not surprising. Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, the United States has exerted massive pressure on the PA to reform and improve its governance record if it wished to remain the chief political representative of the Palestinians when the current bloodshed stops.
Established in 1994 under international treaties to which Israel is a party, the PA is regarded as the Palestinians' de facto government. It is the body to which most Palestinian armed and political movements belong, and it pays for a network of foreign representations which function as informal embassies for Palestine around the world.
It is formally in charge of the West Bank, where it runs the local police and provides most other administrative services. In 2007, the PA lost control of Gaza to the Hamas militant organisation in a brutal fight in which many PA officials were slaughtered, often in grisly public executions.
The PA has two formal power centres: a government run by a prime minister and a president who acts as a head of state. Mr Mahmoud Abbas, the 88-year-old president, has held the position for almost two decades and remains the PA's paramount leader.
But while the PA enjoys complete international legitimacy as the legal representative of the Palestinian territory, the organisation is facing an existential crisis.
The PA is powerless to stop successive land grabs by Israeli governments.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 29, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 29, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
RealVantage breaks down walls in real estate investing for the masses
Real estate fund targets investments in middle market real estate assets
CROATIA LIFT CONFIDENCE
They beat Portugal 2-1 away in final friendly before Euro, sending warning to Spain, Italy
Jacobs wants to go faster after retaining 100m title
Home favourite Marcell Jacobs vowed to improve his time and technique ahead of the Paris Olympics after he retained his European 100m crown in Rome as Italy basked in their bountiful weekend with five golds to surge to the top of the medal table.
Workers from dorms drinking, sleeping by roadside at night
Motorists say they endanger themselves and other road users with such behaviour
US 'standing strong' with Ukraine in Russia battle, Biden vows
In a swipe at Trump, he emphasises value of US-European alliances on state visit to France
Seoul accused of modern slavery with seasonal worker scheme
Filipino workers say brokers charged steep fees, cheated them out of promised wages
Terrorist attacks dampen Chinese interest in key corridor project with Pakistan
Political instability, economic distress in the country causing serious delays, say analysts
Proposal to allow pets on China’s trains draws cheers and jeers
Some welcome prospect of trips with pets, but others raise objections over fur, faeces
Layoff worries mount as Indonesia sees flood of illegal imports
Smuggled goods compete unfairly with locally made products, economists say
Malaysia's data centre push sparks concern over power, water usage
It could strain supplies in the coming years, particularly in industrialised states: Experts