Palestinian President Forms Committee to Oversee Administrative Reforms

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



Netanyahu Says Significant Progress Made in Talks to Release Hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)
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Netanyahu Says Significant Progress Made in Talks to Release Hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.

Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.

Netanyahu, who has come under pressure from within his right-wing coalition to continue the war and block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, said in a video statement shared by his office that there had been progress, without providing details.

A source familiar with the negotiations said that Washington had been giving Hamas more assurances, in the form of steps that would lead to an end to the war, but said it was US officials who were optimistic, not Israeli ones. The source said there was pressure from Washington to have a deal done as soon as possible.

The White House National Security Council and representatives for US envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading US efforts in the ceasefire talks, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did Hamas representatives.

Israel's leadership has said that it would wage war until the remaining 55 hostages held in Gaza are freed and when Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war, has been dismantled.

Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has said it would no longer govern after the war if a Palestinian, non-partisan technocratic committee took over, but it has refused to disarm.

The US has proposed a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the terms, but Hamas has sought amendments. The group has said that it would release all hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war.

The war in Gaza has raged since Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people in Israel in the October 2023 attack and took 251 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.