Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, expressed his hope during the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority (PA) would resume its governing role in Gaza once the war with Israel comes to an end.
Speaking two days after the ceasefire brokered by Qatar took effect in Gaza, Sheikh Mohammed emphasized that it should be the people of Gaza, not any other country, who decide how the region is governed.
“We hope to see the PA back in Gaza. We hope to see a government that will really address the issues of the people over there. And there is a long way to go with Gaza and the destruction,” he remarked.
While the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas did not directly address Gaza’s future governance, the situation remains complex. Israel has ruled out any governing role for Hamas, which controlled Gaza before the war. At the same time, it has also opposed Palestinian Authority rule, which has limited authority in the West Bank.
The PA, led by the Fatah faction founded by the late Yasser Arafat, has faced opposition from Hamas, which ousted the PA from Gaza in 2007 after a brief civil war.
