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Fayyad Says Palestinian Leadership Must Stay Relevant, Engaged

Outgoing Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad shows no sign of winding down politically in an interview with Daoud Kuttab.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad sits at the head of a Palestinian cabinet meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah April 16, 2013. Abbas accepted Fayyad's resignation on Saturday, but is likely to keep him in office for the next few weeks while the U.S. tries to revive Middle East peace talks, officials said on Monday. REUTERS/ Mohamed Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYNV1

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has called on the Palestinian leadership to stay relevant and engaged. The outgoing prime minister, who is heading a caretaker government, made this plea from his office in Ramallah.

In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with Al-Monitor, Fayyad explains the reason for his optimistic outlook despite the general pessimism. An unexpected event could trigger a breakthrough, he argues. It could be as simple as the video of Ahmad from Hebron, he said, referring to a YouTube video that has gone viral in which a 15-year-old Palestinian boy innocently asks an Israeli soldier coming to arrest him if he could postpone the arrest one day because he has an important test at school.

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