Palestinian unity government resigns, Abbas adviser says
Fatah officials have denied the report, Israel Radio reports, saying that talks between the two sides have not concluded.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: JUNE 18, 2015 04:25Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas gestures as he speaks during a meeting for the Central Council of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Ramallah(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Palestinian unity government dissolved itself Wednesday, according to an adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.“[Prime Minister Rami] Hamdallah handed his resignation to Abbas and Abbas ordered him to form a new government,” Nimr Hammad, an adviser to the PA president, told AFP.Fatah officials have denied the report, Israel Radio said, saying that talks between the two sides have not concluded.This past April, Hamas called on Abbas to “quit the political scene,” saying he remains an obstacle to achieving national unity.Salah Bardaweel, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, accused Abbas of acting like a dictator “who lives in a state of personal intransigence and total refusal to share powers.”Bardaweel called on Abbas to step down and accused him of dominating legislative, executive and judicial powers.He also accused Abbas of “hijacking” Fatah and the representation of the Palestinian people, as well as refusing any attempt to end the dispute between Fatah and Hamas.Bardaweel also accused Abbas of preventing the unity government from carrying out its duties in the Gaza Strip.The Hamas official’s attack on Abbas came following claims by officials in Ramallah that Hamas was working with Israel to establish a separate Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip.Hamas leaders have strongly denied the claims, accusing PA leadership of “spreading lies.”
