Palestinian cabinet reshuffle on hold
The Palestinian leadership appears to have backtracked at the last moment from its planned cabinet reshuffling after news leaked that the changes were superficial at best.
The cancellation of the Palestinian elections and the huge drop in support for the Palestinian leadership following its subdued response to the recent conflicts in Jerusalem and Gaza as well as the death of a Palestinian activist are pressuring the Palestinian leadership to come up with a response. The general discussion among Palestinians has focused on the need for a new national unity government that could bring about a badly needed reconciliation and prepare the scene for national elections.
The response by the Palestinian leadership to the calls for a new government has been slow and weak. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on May 21 and there was an increase in US State Department and CIA discussions with the Palestinian leadership. While talks began during the first days of the Biden administration the Gaza-Hamas conflict caused a marked increase in discussions. These US meetings seemed to reassure the Ramallah team that it had overcome the public skepticism that followed the cancellation of the vote.
Then came the June 24 beating to death of Nizar Banat, who was slated to run in the elections and publicly chided the Abbas regime for cancelling it. Not only was his death never properly explained nor those responsible held accountable, but the response by the Palestinian security forces in forcefully putting down protests against the Abbas leadership further cemented the perception that things were not going well for Abbas.
The pressure on the leadership continued and Abbas decided to shake up the cabinet but keep Fatah Central Committee member Mohammad Shtayeh as prime minister.
