JERUSALEM — The new prime minister of the Palestinian Authority is an unassuming linguistics professor and university dean who has spent his career mostly avoiding the roiling politics of the West Bank and Gaza and their two warring political factions.
The appointment of Rami Hamdallah, 54, comes as Secretary of State John F. Kerry intensifies his efforts to get Palestinians and Israelis back to the table to talk peace.
Venezuela's Dancing Devils, National Spelling Bee, Peru's Potato Day and more.
Armed vigilante leads villagers and gunmen in a local rebellion against the insurgency that killed his mother.
Some question whether Hamid Karzai will be ready to give up power as the constitution requires.
In China, parents must decide how to talk about the brutal crackdown.
About 2,000 Shiite fighters have amassed around the northern city, parts of which the rebels control.
Encouraged by the success of Israel and Cyprus, Lebanon moves to tap its offshore oil and gas reserves.
Hamdallah, a capable president of the Palestinian al-Najah University in the West Bank, is not known as a political operator, but is respected among mainstream Palestinians as a scholar. He has raised millions of dollars for his school, mostly from wealthy governments in the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
What role Hamdallah might play in any peace negotiations is unclear. One western diplomat suggested that he would focus mostly on the bureaucracy of the Palestinian entity — making sure government payrolls are met — and leaving any serious negotiations with the Israelis and Americans to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his team.
Kerry signaled his approval of the choice Sunday night with a statement lauding Hamdallah, while remarking that his appointment "comes at a moment of challenge, which is also an important moment of opportunity."
Hamdallah replaces Salam Fayyad, a U.S.-educated economist who was popular with international donors and western governments. Fayyad resigned in April after six years in office, expressing increased frustration both with Abbas and Palestinian Authority.
Fayyad argued that neither violence nor negotiation has produced an independent Palestinian state. Instead, he pushed to create all the precursors of a state, such as functioning institutions, transparent governance, legitimate security forces and a stable economy — a doctrine that came to take his name, "fayyadism."
Fayyad has remained in office awaiting his successor.
Hamdallah was named prime minister by Abbas on Sunday night.
Hamdallah is a member of Abbas's political party, Fatah, and analysts in Washington and Ramallah assume that Hamdallah will serve as a loyal lieutenant.
"Fayyad is a very hard act to follow, having built up stature abroad with the donor community that trusted his sense of financial transparency. He also had credibility with the Palestinian public as someone who was dedicated to governance and improving the quality of life," said David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank.
"The ruling party Fatah and people close to Abbas saw Fayyad as a threat in postwar succession. I don't think they view Hamdallah as a threat since he does not have the same international stature," Makovsky said, "His relationship with Abbas is bound to be more harmonious."
"Hamdallah is the president's man," said Hani Masri, a Palestinian political analyst and columnist. "He doesn't have his own political agenda. He is a practical man, a pragmatist. And he will serve as a caretaker, overseeing a government of technocrats."
It is uncertain how long Hamdallah will remain in the job.
Abbas's Fatah party has been locked in a stalemate with its rival, the Islamic militant organization Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
While Hamas and Fatah have completed a series of negotiations to reconcile their differences, efforts to form a unity government and hold new elections have repeatedly failed.
The Hamas government in Gaza condemned the appointment of Hamdallah, saying they were not consulted. "This government, which is an illegal government, is an extension of the former government and was presented as a fait accompli," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
Sufian Taha in Ramallah contributed to this report.
03 Jun, 2013
-
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEXg6Fcu80ReXcFbUpfIb0IvnlwmQ&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-palestinian-leader-seen-as-a-caretaker/2013/06/03/404d20b2-cc62-11e2-8573-3baeea6a2647_story.html
--
Manage subscription | Powered by rssforward.com