JERUSALEM – The new Palestinian Authority (PA) government was sworn into office this week by PA President Mahmoud Abbas and has been warmly welcomed by the White House and State Department, including Israeli, Jewish and Palestinian leaders. It includes at least two ministers who hold extreme and racist views. This was revealed by Media Watch (PMW), an Israeli organization that focuses on Palestinian extremists.
Citing articles in Palestinian media and video clips from recent public events, PMW describes how the new minister of religion, Mohammad Mustafa Najem, openly incites violence against Israelis as a religious obligation and calls Jews evil and traitors. He clarified how he characterized it as such, and quoted the following poem: From the Koran, which calls Jews “monkeys and pigs.”
Minister of Women’s Affairs Muna al-Hariri, another member of the new government, praised Palestinian terrorism, saying at a conference in Egypt just last month that the brutal Hamas terrorist attack of October 7 was the worst. It is shown that he claimed that there was. Since the Holocaust of World War II, the atrocities committed against Jews have been legitimate acts of resistance.
Biden warns Prime Minister Netanyahu that he will change Gaza policy unless Israel protects civilians
President Mahmoud Abbas poses with the new Palestinian government sworn in in Ramallah, West Bank, on March 31, 2024. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)
Since the Hamas attack and the subsequent war with Israel that devastated much of the Gaza Strip, the U.S. government has urged Abbas to reform and revitalize his governing authority, which has long been accused of corruption and extremism. . Consideration of solutions for governing Gaza in addition to the West Bank after the war.
Prime Minister Abbas said the reforms implemented this week include fighting corruption, improving service standards and digital transformation, as well as institutional reform and plans for restructuring and consolidating institutions, which the United States sees as part of the reforms it wants.
But many Palestinians say real change will not happen as long as Prime Minister Abbas remains at the helm. And Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have categorically rejected the idea that the authority will be part of a postwar solution for Gaza, pointing to the same problem as Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group. .
Biden’s plan for a Palestinian state is doomed, experts say: ‘Hamas clearly recognizes it’
Khaled Abu Toameh, a Palestinian affairs analyst based in Jerusalem, said he believes a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority would bring about moderate and realistic numbers and soften the Palestinian position toward Israel. That assumption is completely false,” he told Fox News Digital.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa chairs a cabinet meeting in Ramallah on April 2, 2024 (Ja’afar Ashtiye/AFP via Getty Images)
He said it was completely unrealistic to expect the new minister to “support a pragmatic approach to Israel”, especially as the war in Gaza escalates, adding that “even many Palestinians “They do not understand the difference between the new Palestinian government and the Palestinian administration.” The one from last time. “
“In his first speech to the cabinet, new Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa also made strong statements against Israel, citing the Gaza war, while completely ignoring Hamas’ responsibility,” Abu Toameh said. In this respect, his voice was exactly like his predecessor Mohamed Shtayyeh.
He said that Mr. Steyer, who resigned as prime minister in February, also talked about reforming the authorities, but “no significant results were achieved.”
Why neighboring countries in the Middle East do not provide shelter to Palestinians stranded in the Gaza conflict zone
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during talks in Amman, October 13, 2023 (Jacqueline Martin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Abu Toameh said change will not occur “as long as President Mahmoud Abbas and his inner circle remain the true and sole decision-makers.” “Ultimately, the cabinet reshuffle was done to appease the US administration, not out of any sincere desire to introduce fiscal or administrative reforms or to participate in the peace process with Israel.”
Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv Institute for National Security Studies who closely monitors events in Palestinian society, also said that if Abbas is still in power, the new Palestinian Authority leadership could bring about major changes. said it was low.
“The appointment of Muhammad Mustafa is actually just replacing one Muhammad with another,” he said. “He’s part of the same production line.”
Smoke rises after an Israeli military aircraft attacks Gaza City on July 29, 2014. (Sameh Rahmi/NurPhoto/Corbis via Getty Images)
Michael said Mustafa, who has previously served as deputy prime minister and economy minister, is a close ally and advisor to Abbas and “will do whatever Abbas says.”
“He is there to preserve Mr. Abbas’ interests. Mr. Abbas’s last interest is reform,” Michael said, calling the current Palestinian Authority a “lost cause.”
However, following the announcement of the new Palestinian government, State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement, “The United States looks forward to working with the new Cabinet to promote peace, security, and prosperity, and we look forward to working with the new Cabinet to promote peace, security, and prosperity. I would like to ask them to take the following measures.” Achieve credible reform. ”
World Health Organization remains silent on Hamas’ use of Gaza hospital as terrorist base
Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Biden, and Palestinian leader Abbas (Getty Images)
“Palestinian revitalization is essential to delivering results for the Palestinian people in both the West Bank and Gaza and establishing the conditions for stability in the broader region,” he said.
In response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on racist and inflammatory public statements by newly appointed Palestinian cabinet members, a State Department spokesperson said: “Reports that certain Palestinian cabinet members have used unacceptable language” “We are absolutely clear.” In this regard, inflammatory, hateful, or dehumanizing speech by any party does not advance peace. ”
A Palestinian Authority spokesperson contacted by Fox News Digital did not comment on the allegations by press time.
Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, told Fox News Digital that the United States is “perpetuating the fiction of a reformed Palestinian government” and is using the issue to achieve its own objectives. He said that it ignores certain properties of .
“Mohammad Mustafa is not a reformer. He is a long-time cronies of Mahmoud Abbas and has benefited from the corrupt system that Abbas has presided over for almost 20 years,” he said. “If Mr. Abbas remains president of this government, and he is now in the 19th year of a four-year term, I think it is important to remember that this is not reform.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Palestinians march during the funeral of a terrorist killed in clashes the day before during an Israeli military operation in Jenin, West Bank, July 5, 2023. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)
“When you look at the rhetoric of some of these figures, you see that not only are they not reformers, they are actually radicals, and this should undermine the entire process that is going on,” Shan said. Mr. Tsar said, and the administration added: They are so focused on the goal of ensuring that the Palestinian Authority “inherits the Gaza Strip” that they are “willing to turn a blind eye to broader issues in order to achieve this goal.”
“I believe that if we ignore these issues, we will end up going down the same path that we have been on for years and years,” he said.
