US welcomed new Palestinian government following repeated calls for political reform

Major challenge for the Palestinian Authority, should it be given a role in administering Gaza, will be reconstruction

The United States had embraced the formation of a new Palestinian autonomy government, indicating its acceptance of the revised Cabinet lineup as a step toward Palestinian political reform. During the Biden administration, there was a call for "revitalizing" the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, aiming for it to potentially administer the Gaza Strip post-Israel-Hamas war. The conflict began nearly six months earlier, sparked by an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. In a statement released late Friday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller expressed the United States' anticipation of collaborating with the new group of ministers "to deliver on credible reforms." Miller emphasized that a revitalized PA was crucial for delivering outcomes for the Palestinian people in both the West Bank and Gaza, as well as establishing stability in the broader region.

Hamas, a rival of Abbas, seized control of Gaza in 2007, driving out his security forces. The United States advocated for a reformed Palestinian Authority to reassert control over Gaza, a proposition rejected by both Israel and Hamas. Hamas cautioned Palestinians in Gaza against cooperating with Israel in administering the territory, threatening to treat collaborators as traitors. Hamas denounced the formation of the new Palestinian government as illegitimate, advocating instead for a power-sharing government among all Palestinian factions, including Fatah, ahead of national elections, which had not occurred in 18 years.