New PA gov’t to be sworn in Thursday

Several Palestinian groups announced that they will boycott Rami Hamdallah’s government.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Rami Hamdallah 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini)
Rami Hamdallah 370
(photo credit: REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini)
The new Palestinian Authority government, headed by Prime Minister-designate Rami Hamdallah, will be sworn in on Thursday.
Hamdallah said that the government would consist of 24 ministers, most of whom will retain their current portfolios.
Hamdallah said during the the signing of a cooperation agreement between An- Najah University and the Higher Palestinian Judicial Council that his government will serve until August 14, the date set for reaching a deal between Hamas and Fatah over the formation of a unity government.
Until his appointment earlier this week, Hamdallah served as president of An-Najah University in Nablus.
“Most of the ministers will remain in their jobs with minor changes to the government,” Hamdallah said. “A new minister needs two to three months to get acquainted with his or her ministry.”
As for the political program of his government, Hamdallah said: “My government is the government of President Mahmoud Abbas.”
Several Palestinian groups announced that they would boycott Hamdallah’s government, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian Peoples’ (Communist) Party.