Gaza Factions Denounce Hamdallah Appointment
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have criticized Rami Hamdallah's appointment as the new Palestinian prime minister, while leftist groups have vowed to boycott the new cabinet.
The appointment of 54-year-old Rami Hamdallah as the new Palestinian Authority Prime Minister has drawn a sharp response from Gaza factions, least of all Hamas.
President Mahmoud Abbas selected Hamdallah, the chairman of An-Najah University in the West Bank, six weeks following the resignation of Salam Fayyad after a bitter dispute with Abbas.
The new government is not expected to have any major replacements, with only the addition of two deputies: one from Gaza and the other from the West Bank.
Hamas reacted harshly to Hamdallah’s appointment, labelling the move as “illegal," while other Gaza-based Palestinian factions, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) have vowed to boycott the new government.
