Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed economist and former World Bank official Mohammed Mustafa as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The move comes amid pressure from the United States, as well as some Arab countries, for the PA to be reformed and revitalized in the wake of the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel. Washington wants the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to rule the Gaza Strip following the end of Israel’s military operations to oust Hamas there. The PA sees Gaza as part of a potential future Palestinian stat…