Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked Hamdallah to form a new Palestinian Cabinet in West Bank, replacing Salam Fayyad, who announced his resignation in April and formally leaves this month.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry congratulated Hamdallah in a statement Sunday, saying the United States can work with the new government on a path to a negotiated two-state settlement with Israel.
The Islamic militant group Hamas, which controls the rival Gaza Strip, has rejected the appointment. A spokesman calls it "illegal" and says it will not help bring Palestinian unity.
Hamas and Mr. Abbas' Fatah party agreed in principle last month to form a unity government, an effort the two sides have pursued for more than three years without fruition.
Hamas is considered a terrorist group by Israel and the West, which backs the more moderate Fatah-led government in the West Bank.
The two factions split control after Hamas won a parliamentary majority in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election and ousted Fatah forces from Gaza a year later.
Hamdallah has been serving as president of Al-Najah University in Nablus, where he is an English professor. Fayyad, a U.S.-educated economist, frequently clashed with Mr. Abbas.
Hamdallah is a Fatah Party member, chairman of the Palestinian stock exchange and has led the Palestinian Election Commission since 2002.
03 Jun, 2013
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