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West Bank Palestinians Indifferent To New Prime Minister

Rami Hamdallah's appointment as new prime minister has failed to move the mostly apathetic Palestinian street in the West Bank.
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (R) stands in front of President Mahmoud Abbas during a swearing-in ceremony of the new government in the West Bank city of Ramallah June 6, 2013. Hamdallah and his West Bank-based government were sworn in on Thursday and one of their main challenges will be reaching a power-sharing deal with the Islamist Hamas movement ruling Gaza. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10E5M

Almost two months after former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA) Salam Fayyad resigned, ending the strained relationship that characterized his tenure in the West Bank government, President Mahmoud Abbas appointed Rami Hamdallah, the 58-year-old dean of An-Najah University in Nablus, as the new prime minister.

Hamdallah, who also served as the director of the Central Elections Commission, formed a new government on Thursday [June 6], in which the majority of the ministers remained in their positions with minor reshuffling. Three new ministers were sworn in to head the ministries of finance, social affairs, and education and higher education, in addition to two deputy premiers.

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