Since establishing the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah, 19 governments have been formed under the leadership of eight prime ministers.
The latest one looks very different. On 14 March, long-serving President Mahmoud Abbas appointed Mohammad Mustafa, also known as Al-Safarini, as the latest incumbent.
Mr Mustafa likes the numbers, not the politics. He is not affiliated with any political faction, so he follows in the footsteps of his predecessors, Salam Fayyad and Rami Hamdallah, in being independent.
Mustafa's background is similar to Fayyad's. He has experience in academia and the World Bank and an established track record as an integrity administrator.
His cabinet also looks different in that it is technocratic, non-factional, and apolitical. Its focus is on administration, development, reconstruction, the provision of public services, and the overall sound management of Palestinian society.
This is a significant departure from the political dynamics of past administrations. He replaces Mohammad Shtayyeh, who has been in the job since 2019 and sat on the Fatah Central Committee.
Abbas’s decision was influenced by a mix of old and new pressures, not least calls for him to relinquish some of his powers via administrative and legal reforms. The idea behind this is to diminish Fatah’s dominance of the PA’s governance and make it a more unifying body.
War in Gaza has put the spotlight on Abbas and Fatah. If the PA is to have a role in governing Gaza after Hamas, the international community wants the PA to get in shape because the reconstruction task is enormous.
A first priority would be to address the humanitarian needs of two million Gazans who are starving and traumatised. After that, the PA would need to try to make Gaza habitable again. An estimated 35% of buildings have been destroyed.
In pictures: Over half of Gaza's buildings destroyed or damaged by Israel
The PA needs to demonstrate that it can govern effectively. Israel says it can’t, an argument it uses to justify its occupation.
The PA must persuade sceptics that Israel is wrong. Its standing with international stakeholders, notably the United States, must rise if it is to support its bid for full United Nations membership.
Enormous task
As he steps into his new job, Mustafa has much to do. To start, he must establish an effective government that operates independently of Abbas and Fatah.
If he succeeds, he would be the first of eight Palestinian prime ministers to do so, given the president’s dominance and reluctance to loosen his grip.
If Mustafa is given responsibility for rebuilding Gaza, he will need all the help he can get. Much of the Strip is in ruins, and most of its people are displaced.
He will need to work with multiple parties, including Israel, the US, other Western nations, and what remains of Hamas, all the while trying to add Israel's occupation and settlement policies in the West Bank.
As if that weren’t enough, his other challenges include Israel’s efforts to change the demographic and cultural identity of Jerusalem, confiscate land, expand settlements, build bypass roads, and withhold the PA’s money.
Moreover, his in-tray is still filling up because the war is not yet over. Only when it is will its impact on the broader dynamics of Palestinian politics become apparent. Whether conditions allow for Palestinian unity remains to be seen.
Whatever lies ahead, the timing of his appointment makes it clear that Mohammad Mustafa is likely to be a key figure in the future of millions of Palestinians. Who is he?
