BICOM

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday accepted the resignation of PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah after weekend talks between the two failed to resolve their differences.

54-year-old academic Hamdallah had only been in office for just over two weeks when he surprisingly handed in his resignation last Thursday. His appointment had been a surprise as Hamdallah had no significant prior political or government experience. Hamdallah’s appointment followed the resignation earlier this year of Salam Fayyad, a respected economist who was popular with Western governments and was widely credited with developing the West Bank economy. However, Fayyad quit as Prime Minister following increasing tension with Abbas.

It appears that Hamdallah resigned following a dispute over the powers of his Deputy Prime Ministers, appointed by Abbas. One, Muhammad Mustafa, director of the PLO’s Palestine Investment Fund and an economic advisor to Abbas had apparently seized control of government finances, while Ziad Abu Amr had reportedly taken responsibility for internal political decisions such as reconciliation efforts between Fatah and Hamas.

Initially, Hamdallah had agreed to withdraw his resignation after a two-hour meeting in Ramallah with Abbas. However, the following day Hamdallah insisted that his two deputies either be removed or have their powers significantly curtailed as a condition to returning to office. At this point, Abbas apparently decided to accept Hamdallah’s original resignation.

Nabil Abu Rudaineh, spokesman for the PA presidency said that Abbas has asked Hamdallah to remain in office in a caretaker capacity until a new Prime Minister is appointed. However, it is unclear who the candidates might be, with some reports suggesting that one of the current deputies, Abbas loyalist Muhammed Mustafa could be a leading candidate.

The uncertainty within the PA comes just days before US Secretary of State John Kerry visits the region as part of his ongoing efforts to kick-start peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.