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US Welcomes Formation of New Palestinian Cabinet

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. WAFA
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. WAFA
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US Welcomes Formation of New Palestinian Cabinet

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. WAFA
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. WAFA

The US welcomes the nomination of a new Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet to serve the Palestinian people, the US State Department said on Friday.

"A revitalized PA 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," 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 will be engaging this new government to deliver on credible reforms,” he said.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa formed a new cabinet on Thursday in which he will also serve as foreign minister, making an immediate ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza a top priority.

Mustafa, an ally to President Mahmoud Abbas and a leading business figure, was appointed premier this month with a mandate to help reform the PA, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

He was also assigned to lead the relief and rebuilding of Gaza, which has been shattered by more than five months of war, while he performs double-duty as foreign minister, replacing Riyad al-Maliki who had served in the position since 2009.

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Syria's Sharaa Skips Iraq Summit After Firestorm Over Invitation 

French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) receives Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) receives Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)
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Syria's Sharaa Skips Iraq Summit After Firestorm Over Invitation 

French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) receives Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) receives Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will not attend the Arab League Summit in Baghdad this weekend, Syrian state media said on Monday, after Iraq's invitation spurred criticism from pro-Iran groups.

Syria's delegation to Saturday's summit will be headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, state-owned Ekhbariya TV reported, without providing a reason for Sharaa's absence. The summit is expected to focus on Gaza reconstruction and the Palestinian issue.

Sharaa's decision highlighted Syria's mixed results establishing ties across the region after former President Bashar al-Assad's ouster last year. Sharaa has made rapid inroads with Gulf Arab states Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but has tread more carefully with others where Iran has had strong influence, like Iraq.

Several influential Iraqi politicians had voiced opposition to Sharaa's visit.

They include former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, a leading member of Iraq's main pro-Iran coalition that holds a parliamentary majority.

Armed groups aligned with Tehran had also joined the call against Sharaa, including the Kataeb Hezbollah faction, which previously fought in Syria alongside Assad's forces.

Sharaa fought with Al-Qaeda in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003. He was imprisoned there for more than five years, then released for lack of evidence in 2011, according to a senior Iraqi security official.

Several Iraqi security sources told AFP that an old arrest warrant for Sharaa from his time as a member of Al-Qaeda remains in place.

However, authorities seek good relations with Syria's new leadership to help maintain regional stability, the sources said.

Sunni politicians largely welcomed Sharaa's participation in the summit as a step towards pulling Iraq away from Iran and towards the Arab fold.

"There are elements... working against Iraq's progress to reclaim its rightful place within the Arab community," said Raad al-Dahlaki, head of Azm Alliance, a major Sunni bloc in Iraq's parliament.