Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has announced the resignation of his government which rules parts of the occupied West Bank.
“The decision to resign came in light of the unprecedented escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem and the war, genocide and starvation in the Gaza Strip,” Shtayyeh, who submitted his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, said.
Shtayyeh’s comments come as US pressure grows on Abbas to shake up the Palestinian Authority and begin work on a political structure that can govern a Palestinian state following the war.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has on numerous occasions rejected calls for the PA under Abbas to take control of a Palestinian state and govern over Gaza.
Last week, Israeli lawmakers backed Netanyahu’s rejection of any “unilateral” recognition of a Palestinian state.
“The Knesset came together in an overwhelming majority against the attempt to impose on us the establishment of a Palestinian state, which would not only fail to bring peace but would endanger the state of Israel,” said Netanyahu.
But the Palestinian Foreign Ministry slammed the vote and accused Israel of holding the rights of Palestinians hostage due to the occupation of Palestinian territories.
“The ministry reaffirms that the State of Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations and its recognition by other nations does not require permission from Netanyahu,” it said in a statement.
Since the signing of the Oslo Accords in the early 1990s, little progress has been made towards achieving a two-state solution.
