Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday dismissed most of the governors in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, in a move said to be in response to long-standing demands for a political shake-up.
Abbas issued a decree dismissing the governors of eight provinces under Palestinian administration in the occupied territory. The overhaul included the restive northern cities of Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem. Only three areas – including Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority – retained their governors.
The president’s office said that he would form a committee to suggest replacements.
Although the decision is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the ground, experts said it signals Abbas’ recognition of the authority’s deepening unpopularity and his desire to show that he is heeding calls for change in the face of mounting difficulties.
"It gives the authority a new face, which is important particularly as the governors are in charge of all security matters," said political analyst Jehad Harb. "But it won’t change anything really. (Abbas) is trying to rebuild some public trust, but it will take much more."
Palestinians have not had the chance to vote in national elections since 2006. Abbas’ original four-year term technically ended in 2009.
Although governors said they had expected an overhaul for years given growing demands for change, many said Thursday’s decree took them by surprise. Yet none expressed dissent with the decision of the president.
"I can understand how fresh blood is important," said Jihad Abu al-Assal, the governor of Jericho and the Jordan Valley. "This is the president’s decisions and even if we don’t understand all the reasons for it, we will comply."
The move comes as the Fatah party, which runs the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, grapples with mounting crises – internal and otherwise.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has imposed numerous sanctions on the authority, illegally expanded settlements on Palestinian lands and overseen Israeli military raids into West Bank cities that have killed dozens of civilians.
Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War, along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. Palestine seeks the return of the occupied territories for their hoped-for independent state.
Excluding annexed East Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to nearly 3 million Palestinians and around 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements considered illegal under international law.
Abbas’ decree also fired four governors in the Gaza Strip.
"In the Gaza Strip, the Governors of North Gaza, Gaza, the Khan Yunis, and the Rafah were sent to retirement by the presidential decree," said the official WAFA news agency.