JERUSALEM (Halbeeg News)-Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah announced on Tuesday that he has submitted his government’s resignation to PA President Mahmoud Abbas. The government, he said, will continue to carry out its duties until the formation of a new one.
Hamdallah was speaking during the weekly meeting of the PA government in Ramallah. He expressed hope that consultations to establish a new government will be successful as soon as possible. “The success of any government requires the confidence of the Palestinian citizen,” Hamdallah said.
It was not immediately clear whether Abbas had accepted the resignation of Hamdallah.
Abbas has been facing pressure from ruling Fatah action to remove Hamdallah from power and establish a new government consisting of PLO factions and independent figures.
On Sunday, the Fatah Central Council recommended that PA President Mahmoud Abbas form a government consisting of representatives of various PLO factions and independent figures.
Hamdallah’s Ramallah-based cabinet is called the Palestinian National Consensus Government because it was established following understandings reached between Fatah and Hamas in 2014.
Fatah leaders said that in the wake of the continued crisis between their faction and Hamas, there was no point in keeping the present government in power. Some Fatah officials are also dissatisfied with the performance of Hamdallah and say they would like to see one of them replace him as prime minister.
Although he is affiliated with Fatah, Hamdallah – who previously served as president of An-Najah University in Nablus – does not hold any official position in the faction.
Fatah officials also believe that since their faction is the largest group in the PLO, it should have a strong presence in any government.
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