US-educated university professor Muhammad Shabir accepted the Palestinian government's offer to nominate him as the next prime minister, a Hamas official said Monday. Fatah and Hamas negotiators had reportedly agreed to name Shbair as the new PA prime minister. Shbair's name appeared on a Hamas list of candidates for the premiership that was presented to PA Chairman Abbas last week. Although Shbair is not formally a member of Hamas, he is regarded as being closely affiliated with the Islamist movement. For nearly 16 years, the father of six served as president of the Hamas-affiliated Islamic University in Gaza City. "I don't belong to any Palestinian political faction," he said. "So far, I haven't received an official request to head the unity government. I'm prepared to take the job, but first I want to see what is required of me."
Shbair, whose father was one of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood Organization in the Gaza Strip in the 1950s and 1960s, expressed hope that Fatah and Hamas would reach an agreement soon on the formation of a unity government so that the international community would resume financial aid to the Palestinians.
However, former PA prime minister Ahmed Qurei, who has been holding intensive talks with Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip on the formation of the unity government, said it was premature to talk about names of potential candidates for the premiership. "I'm not aware of any list of names that was presented to President Abbas," he said. "The identity of the next prime minister has not been agreed upon yet."
| Paleo PM needs lots of extra eyes. Some to watch overhead for the shadow of a Zionist drone and a bunch more to watch your back in case a True Believer decides to harvest your kidneys without anesthesia... |
| Buckle your seatbelts, Israel. |