New Palestinian Government to Be Sworn in Tuesday
By VOA News
19 May 2009
Palestinian officials say a new Palestinian government in the West Bank is set to be sworn in Tuesday.
They say a new Cabinet will take the oath of office at Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
The officials say Western-backed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will maintain his current position and head the new Cabinet. They note that members of the Palestinian faction Fatah will control about half of the 24 Cabinet seats.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads Fatah, formed a government in the West Bank shortly after the violent takeover of the Gaza Strip by the rival Hamas faction in June 2007.
Mr. Abbas also dismissed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and his Cabinet that was part of the unity government between Hamas and Fatah.
The rival Palestinian factions have since been trying to work out their differences. On Monday, they ended a fifth round of reconciliation talks in Cairo without a resolution.
The two sides have failed to agree on a range of issues, including the creation of a unified security force, holding new elections and working with neighboring Israel.
Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist, while the Fatah-led Palestine Liberation Organization says it is open to negotiations with the Jewish state.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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