[QODLink]
Middle East
Hamas rejects 'illegal' government
Palestinian caretaker government with Salam Fayyad as PM replaces emergency cabinet.
Last Modified: 14 Jul 2007 12:19 GMT
Abbas, second right, appointed three new ministers
 to the caretaker government [AFP]
Hamas has dismissed a new Palestinian caretaker government appointed by Mahmoud Abbas, the president, as illegal. 

"This government, from the outset, is unconstitutional," Ahmed Bahar, the acting parliament speaker, said on Saturday.
The caretaker government was installed to replace an emergency cabinet that stepped down after its mandate expired on Friday.

The emergency cabinet was formed by Abbas after the Hamas faction took full control of the Gaza Strip after street battles in June.
On Friday, Abbas appointed three new ministers and reappointed Salam Fayyad as prime minister after he formally stepped down, aides said.

The caretaker government is set to remain in place until Fayyad forms a new administration.
 
Parliamentary session

Bahar has convened a special session of parliament on Sunday to challenge Abbas's decision.

Your Views

"The refusal by the US, EU et al to deal with Hamas reflects their disrespect for the wishes of the Palestinian people"

Elise, Bemidji, US

Send us your views

Any new government requires parliament approval under the Palestinian constitution. However, the legislature has been paralysed as a result of the power struggle between Hamas and Abbas's Fatah movement.

Hamas formally holds a majority, with 74 of 132 parliament seats.

However, in the past year, more than three dozen Hamas politicians were arrested by Israel, giving Fatah a slim majority among legislators able to attend.

Salah Bardawil, the head of Hamas's parliamentary bloc, said that the movement has obtained a written authorisation from imprisoned Hamas politicians allowing Bahar can vote on their behalf.
 
Abdullah Abdullah, a Fatah politician, said he and his colleagues consider Sunday's session illegal and will stay away.
 
Abbas and the new government only maintain effective power in the West Bank as Ismail Haniya, prime minister in the Hamas-led unity governent, has refused to accept his dismissal.
 
Security forces loyal to Abbas were pushed out of the Gaza Strip during violent clashes in June leaving the new government with very little authority over the territory.
Source:
Agencies
Topics in this article
People
Organisation
Featured on Al Jazeera
More and more people in the US are living in poverty - yet Mitt Romney's policies would further shred the safety net.
As the anniversary of the uprising nears, the country's rulers are denying foreigners entry and hiring PR firms.
Under Obama, six whistleblowers have been charged under the World War I-era Espionage Act.
Journalist who recently spent time with fighters says there is no central leadership to the armed resistance.
<  > 
join our mailing list

Enter Zip Code
Go