Palestinian Authority cabinet resigns

Move seen by some as reaction to pro-democracy calls across Middle East and follows announcement of overdue elections The Palestinian Authority cabinet has resigned in a move seen by some as a response to calls for democratic reform echoing around the Middle East. The prime minister, Salam Fayyad, tendered the cabinet’s resignation to the PA president, Mahmoud Abbas, and is expected to form a new team of ministers within a few weeks. The move follows the announcement at the weekend that long-delayed general elections will be held by September . Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip and which welcomed the fall of Egypt’s president, Hosni Mubarak, said it would not take part in the elections nor recognise their outcome. Fayyad, the unelected prime minister of the PA, is respected by the west for implementing a programme of reforms and state-building measures in the West Bank. He is thought to be keen to form a cabinet dominated by technocrats. After Mubarak’s departure on Friday , there were street celebrations in Ramallah, the West Bank’s main hub, in solidarity with Egyptian protesters. Elections have not been held since January 2006, when Hamas won an overall majority. Abbas’s term as president expired two years ago. He has not declared whether he will be a candidate in the elections this year, but has repeatedly threatened to quit in the past. Many ordinary Palestinians complain of increased repression in the West Bank, including the intimidation, detention and torture of political dissenters. Hanan Ashwari, a veteran Palestinian legislator and member of Fayyad’s Third Way party, rejected the idea that the cabinet’s resignation was connected to events in Egypt. “This has been in the making for some time, so it would be a mistake to overload the timing with significance,” she said. “This has nothing to do with Egypt. The delay was due to technical problems.” She said Fayyad wanted a cabinet of “qualified, professional people” to oversee elections and assist in building institutions in preparation for a Palestinian state. The PA, which is dominated by the Fatah political faction, has limited rule in the West Bank. Israeli military and civil authorities control about 60% of the territory. Since Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007, 18 months after winning the elections, there has been a split between the two territories and their dominant political factions. Hamas accuses the Fatah-led PA of assisting Israel’s economic stranglehold of Gaza. Meanwhile, Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator who handed in his resignation on Saturday following the leak of thousands of documents from his office , cancelled a press conference to explain his move. Palestinian territories Middle East Gaza Fatah Hamas Mahmoud Abbas Egypt Hosni Mubarak Israel Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk

Posted by on February 14, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry