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"Moreover, it is illegal as it has yet to get the vote of confidence of the parliament, knowing that it was formed five months ago"<br />
"Moreover, it is illegal as it has yet to get the vote of confidence of the parliament, knowing that it was formed five months ago"<br />
"A senior official in the office of Abbas told...Hamas’ expected step to withdraw the confidence from the government is illegal, as it is an interim one and did not originally get the parliament’s vote of confidence to have it withdrawn. Moreover, when Hamas signed the reconciliation agreement and accepted the government formation, it knew full well that there was no agreement to put this government to vote."</ref> Without te the cooperation of Fatah, however, it was not possible to get the necessary [[quorum]] to put a vote.
"A senior official in the office of Abbas told...Hamas’ expected step to withdraw the confidence from the government is illegal, as it is an interim one and did not originally get the parliament’s vote of confidence to have it withdrawn. Moreover, when Hamas signed the reconciliation agreement and accepted the government formation, it knew full well that there was no agreement to put this government to vote."</ref> Without te the cooperation of Fatah, however, it was not possible to get the necessary [[quorum]] to put a vote.

The agreement that led to the formation of the consensus government also calls for reforming the PLO, that ostensibly represents all Palestinians inside and outside the occupied territories. It includes holding elections for the [[Palestine National Council]], the PLO’s long-neglected parliament-in-exile, and expanding [[PLO]] membership to include Hamas and other political parties.<ref name=aja_crisis_deepens>[http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/6/19/palestinian-political-crisis-deepens-with-collapse-of-unity-government.html Palestinian political crisis deepens with collapse of unity government]. Al Jazeera America, 19 June 2015</ref>


=== Dispute about the Prisoners' Affairs Ministry ===
=== Dispute about the Prisoners' Affairs Ministry ===

Revision as of 15:35, 1 January 2016

Riyad Al-Maliki the foreign minister swear in front of the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, at Al-Muqata'a H.Q. in Ramallah.

The Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014 is a national unity government formed on 2 June 2014 under Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. The 17th Palestinian National Authority government was formed after an agreement between the Fatah and Hamas parties. The ministers were nominally independent, but overwhelmingly seen as loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah movement or to smaller leftist factions. None was believed to have close ties to Hamas.[1]

Like the former emergency governments installed by Presidential decree, this unity government was in fact illegal after 30 days, as it was not approved by the Legislative Council.[2] Although the 2014 unity government formally is a government representing both Fatah and Hamas, the two parties are hostile to each other as reconciliation attempts have failed so far. Before the agreement, there were two separate governments, one ruled by Fatah in the West Bank and the other by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The international community agreed to work with the new government.[3][4][5][6] While the US' reaction was reserved, the Israeli Government condemned the unity government.

Establishment

The Government was inaugurated on 2 June 2014 following an agreement between Fatah and Hamas. After the inauguration ceremony, President Mahmoud Abbas said in a televised speech that was broadcast on Palestine TV, that the unity government would serve as an interim government with its main mission to prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections.[7]

Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah considered the formation of this government as the first step toward ending the division, uniting the Palestinian homeland and institutions and bringing about national reconciliation. He said that the government’s tasks included addressing division, reuniting state institutions, commencing Gaza reconstruction and paving the way for facilitating presidential and parliamentary elections.[8]

Like the former emergency governments installed by Presidential decree, this unity government was in fact illegal after 30 days, as it was not approved by the Legislative Council.[2] Without te the cooperation of Fatah, however, it was not possible to get the necessary quorum to put a vote.

The agreement that led to the formation of the consensus government also calls for reforming the PLO, that ostensibly represents all Palestinians inside and outside the occupied territories. It includes holding elections for the Palestine National Council, the PLO’s long-neglected parliament-in-exile, and expanding PLO membership to include Hamas and other political parties.[9]

Dispute about the Prisoners' Affairs Ministry

Hours before the swearing-in ceremony, Hamas threatened not to recognize the unity government if it did not include a Minister for Prisoner Affairs. Abbas wanted to dissolve the Ministry in favour of forming a prisoner affair administration under control of the PLO.[10][11] In the end, the Prisoners’ Affairs Ministry was turned into a commission that would be temporarily run by Shawki al-Issa, the Minister of Agriculture and Social Affairs, upon a decision by the PLO.[7][8] The former long-serving deputy Minister for Prisoners’ Affairs Ziad Abu Ein became in charge of the portfolio for the struggle against the Israeli West Bank barrier and the settlements, a role equivalent to the rank of a minister in the Palestinian Authority government.[12] Abu Ein was killed on 10 December 2014, during a peaceful protest in the West Bank.[12]

International reactions

The European Union, the United Nations, the United States, China, India, Russia and Turkey all agreed to work with the new government.[3][4][5][6]

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Washington would work with the new Palestinian government while continuing to watch it closely.[13] He expressed “concern about Hamas’ role in any such government”.[14] The Israeli Government condemned the unity government. It immediately announced a series of punitive measures, including the withholding of some tax it collects on the PA's behalf, and freezing negotiations with the Palestinians. It refused to allow the passage of at four prospective ministers from the Gaza Strip to the occupied West Bank,[8] while it called on the international community to shun the new Palestinian government.[15][16] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended peace talks with Abbas.[14]

Events

The Palestinian Unity Government first convened in Gaza on 9 October 2014 to discuss the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict. As Hamas was discontended with the government over the failure of the reconstruction process in Gaza, the ongoing closure of the crossings and the failure to settle the issue of the payment of employee salaries, it threatened with a vote of no confidence in Parliament.

Dispute about expiration

On 30 November 2014, Hamas declared that the unity government had ended with the expiration of the six month term. Abbas had accused Israel and Hamas of secretly negotiating, and said earlier that Hamas is completely responsible for Gaza, and not the joint Fatah-Hamas unity government.[17][18] Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri criticized the PA for the arrest of hundreds of Hamas operatives[19] and detaining 80 Palestinians in the West Bank for political affiliation. Hamas denounced "the escalating violations and criminal acts by the PA security services against supporters of Hamas and the Palestinian resistance".[18] Fatah denied that the unity government mandate had ended. Faisal Abu Shahla said that the reconciliation agreement was still in force, but additional reconciliation talks were suspended until Hamas responded to Fatah regarding a series of bomb attacks against Fatah officials’ property in Gaza and the subsequent cancellation of a memorial service for deceased Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.[19]

Resignation

On 17 June 2015, the government resigned after President Mahmoud Abbas had said it was unable to operate in the Gaza Strip. There had been indirect talks between Hamas and Israel on ways to firm up an informal ceasefire agreement concluded after the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict.[20][21] Hamas, however, rejected any unilateral dissolution of the Palestinian consensus government without holding discussions with all parties.[20][21] On 1 July, a cabinet reshuffle was announced, but Hamas opposed the unilateral forming process, arguing that any unity government should be a non-political entity, carrying out tasks agreed upon by all factions. Hamas said it will retain its control on Gaza Strip and split from the coming government if it was not actively included in the process, but preferred a consensus government to govern both the Gaza Strip and West Bank.[22]

Members of the Government[23]

Minister Office Party
1 Rami Hamdallah Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior style="background:Template:Fatah/meta/color; color:black"| Fatah
2 Ziad Abu-Amr Minister of Culture and Deputy Prime Minister Independent
3 Muhammad Mustafa Minister of National Economy and Deputy Prime Minister
4 Shukri Bishara Minister of Finance and Minister for Planning
5 Riyad al-Maliki Minister of Foreign Affairs Independent (Ex. PFLP)
6 Salim al-Saqqa Minister of Justice
7 Adnan al-Husayni Minister for Jerusalem Affairs
8 Rula Maaya Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
9 Jawad Awwad Minister of Health
10 Khawla al-Shakhsheer Minister of Education and Higher Education
11 Allam Said Musa Minister of Information and Communication Technology and of Transport and Communications
12 Muhammad Salim al-Hasania Minister of Public Works and Housing
13 Shawqi al-Ayasa (Shawki al-Issa) Minister of Agriculture, Social Affairs and Prisoners' Affairs
14 Haifa al-Agha Minister of Women's Affairs
15 Maumoon Abdul Hadi Hassan Abu Shahla Minister of Labour
16 Nayef Abu-Khalaf Minister of Local Government
17 Yusuf Ismail Al-Sheikh Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs
18 Ziad Abu Ein (until 10 December 2014) * Head of the department for the struggle against the Israeli West Bank barrier and the settlements (Rank of Minister) [12] style="background:Template:Fatah/meta/color; color:black"| Fatah
19 Ali Mahmoud Abdullah Abu-Diak Secretary-General of the Cabinet (Rank of Minister)
* Killed on 10 December 2014, during a peaceful protest in the West Bank.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Thumbnails of key ministers in Palestinian Cabinet. Associated Press, 2 June 2014
  2. ^ a b Hamas threatens vote of no confidence in Abbas. Al-Monitor, 21 November 2014.
    "Moreover, it is illegal as it has yet to get the vote of confidence of the parliament, knowing that it was formed five months ago"
    "A senior official in the office of Abbas told...Hamas’ expected step to withdraw the confidence from the government is illegal, as it is an interim one and did not originally get the parliament’s vote of confidence to have it withdrawn. Moreover, when Hamas signed the reconciliation agreement and accepted the government formation, it knew full well that there was no agreement to put this government to vote."
  3. ^ a b International community welcomes Palestinian unity government. The Jerusalem Post, 6 March 2014
  4. ^ a b India and China Back Unified Palestinian Government. Ankit Panda, The Diplomat, 4 June 2014
  5. ^ a b Obama administration to work with Palestinian unity government. Wroughton, Lesley and Zengerle, Patricia, Reuters, 2 June 2014
  6. ^ a b "Amid wave of endorsements, PM 'troubled' by U.S. decision to work with Palestinian gov't". Haaretz. 3 June 2014.
  7. ^ a b Palestinian unity government prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections. Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post, 2 June 2014
  8. ^ a b c Prime Minister Condemns Israeli Calls to Boycott, Impose Sanctions on New Unity Government. WAFA, 3 June 2014
  9. ^ Palestinian political crisis deepens with collapse of unity government. Al Jazeera America, 19 June 2015
  10. ^ Palestinian unity government sworn in at Ramallah ceremony. Ynetnews, 2 June 2014
  11. ^ Palestinians hail unity as new government sworn in. Times of Israel, 2 June 2014
  12. ^ a b c d Calls for Calm After Palestinian Official Dies During Protest in the West Bank. Isabel Kershner and Said Ghazali, New York Times, 10 December 2014.
    "Mr. Abu Ein ... was in charge of the portfolio for the struggle against the Israeli West Bank barrier and the settlements, a role equivalent to the rank of a minister in the Palestinian Authority government, according to Palestinian officials."
  13. ^ Rudoren, Jodi; Kershner, Isabel (2 June 2014). "With Hope for Unity, Abbas Swears In a New Palestinian Government". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  14. ^ a b Palestinians hail unity as new government sworn in. Times of Israel/AFP, 2 June 2014
  15. ^ Palestinians form consensus government. Al Jazeera, 3 June 2014
  16. ^ "Palestinian unity government sworn in by Mahmoud Abbas". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  17. ^ Hamas says unity government is over. Jerusalem Post, 30 November 2014
  18. ^ a b Hamas: Palestinian unity govt has expired. Ma'an, 30 November 2014
  19. ^ a b Fatah official denies unity government mandate has ended. Times of Israel, 1 December 2014
  20. ^ a b Palestinian unity government resigns. Al Jazeera, 17 June 2015
  21. ^ a b Hamas Rejects 'One-sided' Dissolution of Palestinian Government. Haaretz, 17 June 2015
  22. ^ New cabinet reshuffle on consensus government. Ma’an, 1 July 2015
  23. ^ Government of the State of Palestine, 2 June 2014. UN Observer SoP. Archived on 22 September 2015 from Government of the State of Palestine, 2 June 2014, accessed November 2015
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