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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Fatah, Hamas agree on new premier |
| 2014-05-30 |
| [The Peninsula] The two main Paleostinian factions, Fatah and the Islamist movement Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,, appeared on the verge of forming a historic unity government after seven years of bitter rivalry as Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... named a new prime minister agreed by both sides yesterday. The announcement brings Paleostinians a substantial step closer to a final reconciliation between Abbas's Fatah and Hamas, which set up separate governments in 2007 after Hamas took control of Gazoo following a sweeping win in legislative elections, that Fatah and the West refused to recognise. A new unity government backed by Hamas -- even a technocratic one -- would be a popular move with Paleostinians but poses big challenges to any attempt to revive a grinding of the peace processor with Israel and to Paleostinian Authority's foreign aid donors, including the US, EU and the UK. It could also bring threats of punitive measures from the government of Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu. Yesterday's deadline for naming the new government was set five weeks ago, after Fatah and Hamas agreed to reconcile under a unity administration and the promise of long-delayed elections. Abbas appointed Hamdallah, prime minister in the West Bank, as chief minister in the new arrangement and said he had asked him to form a government. In a brief ceremony with Hamdallah by his side, Abbas declared: "This letter designates Dr Rami Hamdallah to form a new transitional government. I wish him luck in this difficult task which he will undertake." According to sources, announcement of the full government, which was expected yesterday, has been held up over disagreements over the posts of foreign and interior ministers and may now be announced next week. The five weeks of talks to secure a new government followed the announcement of a reconciliation deal as the last round of peace talks between Paleostinians and Israelis collapsed amid recriminations. The Guardian |
| Posted by:Fred |