Head of Gaza reconstruction committee quits Palestinian unity government

Citing personal reasons, Mustafa is the first minister to quit since the formation of a unity government with Hamas.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
A Palestinian man walks atop the remains of a house that witnesses said was destroyed by Israeli shelling during a 50-day war last summer, in the southern Gaza Strip, March 10 (photo credit: REUTERS)
A Palestinian man walks atop the remains of a house that witnesses said was destroyed by Israeli shelling during a 50-day war last summer, in the southern Gaza Strip, March 10
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The deputy prime minister of the Palestinian Authority government, Mohamed Mustafa, submitted his resignation on Tuesday.
Mustafa, who also served as Minister of Economics, is the first member of the “national consensus” government, which was formed in agreement between the PA and Hamas, government to quit.
He also served as head of a committee that was in charge of reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of last summer’s Operation Protective Edge. The reconstruction efforts have been hampered due to the ongoing power struggle between the PA and Hamas and the failure of donor countries to fulfill their financial pledges.
A spokesman for the government in Ramallah said that Mustafa resigned for “personal reasons.”
The spokesman said that the minister tendered his resignation during the weekly meeting of the cabinet.
Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is expected to bring the resignation to PA President Mahmoud Abbas for approval, the spokesman said.
In addition to his job in the government, Mustafa also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestine Investment Fund, which was established in 2003 as an independent investment company to strengthen the local economy through key strategic investments.