Abbas chooses Hamdallah to form Palestinian unity government

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday officially designated Rami Hamdallah to form the interim unity government that was agreed upon with the Gaza-based Islamist Hamas movement.

After handing Hamdallah "a letter of designation" to form the unity government, Abbas said "I wish him success in this difficult mission", Xinhua reported citing the official Wafa news agency.

Hamdallah, a veteran independent Palestinian academic, is currently the prime minister of the West Bank's Palestinian National Authority (PNA) government, which recently came together with the Gaza Strip's Hamas movement to create a unified Palestinian political entity after years of division.

Hamdallah, who will also be the minister of interior in the government, will form a small cabinet that will include 14 technocrat ministers.

According to the deal reached with Hamas, the new government will be an interim authority for six months until general elections are held.

The government will manage everyday issues of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, including the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which has been subject to Israeli blockades and sometimes bombardments.

Abbas has not announced a specific date for forming the government or when it will be sworn in.

A senior Palestinian official, who spoke to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, said that the designation of Hamdallah "was made in a hurry to overcome disagreements on the final formation of the government".

"The basic disagreement is on the foreign affairs (minister)," the official said. "President Abbas insists on keeping Reyad Malki as the foreign affairs minister while Hamas insists that he has to be replaced by someone else."

Disagreements between Abbas and Hamas on this issue have postponed the formation of the new interim government to next week, according to Fatah and Hamas sources.

Yousef Rezqah, an aide to Hamas deputy chief Ismail Haneya, told Xinhua that Haneya held talks on the phone with Abbas overnight to resolve the dispute, adding that both sides continue to discuss the issue and will reach a decision in the coming hours.