Palestinian President Forms Committee to Oversee Administrative Reforms

File photo of President Mahmoud Abbas - Reuters
File photo of President Mahmoud Abbas - Reuters
TT

Palestinian President Forms Committee to Oversee Administrative Reforms

File photo of President Mahmoud Abbas - Reuters
File photo of President Mahmoud Abbas - Reuters

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decided Monday to form a national committee to oversee administrative reforms following corruption reports in ministries and government institutions.

Wafa news agency revealed that the committee will be chaired by the legal advisor of Abbas.

It consists of the secretary-general of the cabinet, the heads of the General Personnel Bureau, the State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau, and the Palestinian Pension Agency.

The committee members will also include the chairman of the Organization and Administration Authority, the minister of justice, representatives of the Palestinian National Fund and the Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs, and a representative of the General Intelligence Service.

The committee will be assigned to study the laws and regulations on which the institutional structure in the state is based. It will further handle all matters related to the public vocation and possible means to reform and develop it as well as rationalize spending.

The committee is further mandated to control the structural and vocational relations among ministries, government institutions, and PLO-affiliated institutions.

Abbas made this decision following a report published by the State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau for 2020, highlighting corruption in the ministries and government institutions.

The bureau received up to 147 complaints in this regard, the report noted.

This caused controversy among Palestinians, and opposition factions demanded launching an investigation into the case to bring corrupts to justice.



Middle East Must Emerge from Turbulence with Peace and Horizon of Hope, UN Chief Says

 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Middle East Must Emerge from Turbulence with Peace and Horizon of Hope, UN Chief Says

 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)

The United Nations chief says the Middle East is undergoing a “profound transformation” and has urged all countries to ensure the region emerges from the turbulence with peace and “a horizon of hope grounded in action.”

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council Monday that “a new dawn is rising in Lebanon,” which he just visited. He said it was vital that Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army deploy there as required in the ceasefire agreement.

In Gaza, he urged Israel and Hamas to ensure that their newly agreed deal leads to a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages taken by Hamas and other militants during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel.

The ceasefire must also lead to four simultaneous actions on the ground, Guterres said.

Unhindered UN access including by the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA which Israel is seeking to ban is essential, he said, as well as scaled-up aid deliveries, Palestinians’ access to aid, and protection of civilians.

Guterres expressed deep concern about “an existential threat to the integrity and contiguity” of Gaza and the West Bank – key pieces of a future Palestinian state – from Israeli actions and “unabated illegal settlement expansion.”

“Senior Israeli officials openly speak of formally annexing all or part of the West Bank in the coming months,” he said. “Any such annexation would constitute a most serious violation of international law.”

The secretary-general said Syria “stands at a crossroads of history” and told the council, “We cannot let the flame of hope turn into an inferno of chaos.”

He stressed the need for a Syrian-led political transition, and “much more significant work in addressing sanctions and designations” especially in light of the country’s urgent economic needs.