Mustafa, in his Davos remarks, described the Oct 7 attack as “unfortunate for everybody”.
“But it’s also a symptom of a bigger problem … that the Palestinian people have been suffering for 75 years non-stop,” he said.
“Until today, we still believe that statehood for Palestinians is the way forward, so we hope that this time around we will be able to achieve that, so that all people in the region can live in security and peace,” he said.
He is a member of the executive committee of the Abbas-led Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which recognised Israel at the start of the peace process in 1993, hoping to establish a Palestinian state in territories captured by Israel in a 1967 war – the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.
Biden administration officials have previously said they have urged Abbas to bring new blood, including technocrats and economic specialists, into a revamped PA to help govern post-war Gaza. But they have said they do not want to be seen pressuring for the approval or rejection of specific individuals.
The White House did not immediately respond to questions on whether it would support Mustafa’s appointment or had any concerns.
“THE WAY FORWARD”
Mustafa has said the PA could do better “in terms of building better institutions, providing better governance so that … we can reunite Gaza and the West Bank”.
But “if we cannot remove occupation, no reformed government, no reformed institutions can actually build a good successful governing system, or develop a proper economy”, he said.
Mustafa has a PhD in Business Administration and Economics from George Washington University, and has worked at the World Bank in Washington. He was born in the West Bank city of Tulkarm.
He said in his Jan 17 remarks that US$15 billion would be needed just to rebuild homes.
He said he would continue to focus on humanitarian efforts in the short and medium term, expressing hope that Gaza’s borders would be opened and a reconstruction conference convened.
Asked what future role he saw for Hamas, Mustafa also said the “best way forward is to be as inclusive as possible”, adding that he would like Palestinians to unite around the PLO agenda.