Hamas: Illegal for PA premier to form new government

The Hamas-run government in Gaza said Wednesday that tasking new PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah with forming a West Bank government was illegal.
The “formation of a new government proves that the Fatah leadership is willing to maintain and prolong the state of disagreement,” a statement released after a weekly Hamas cabinet meeting said.

Newly appointed premier Hamdallah said this week that he would announce a new 24-member Palestinian Authority cabinet on Thursday.

As the new government will only serve until August, Hamdallah said he would make only minor reshuffles to the cabinet, keeping most of the ministers who served in his predecessor’s administration.

Hamas warned of the “dangerous plots” of US Secretary of State John Kerry, saying that he is preparing to flood the region with more “pledges and illusionary” plans.

Kerry’s initiatives will undermine Palestinian rights and provide security and protection to the “occupation state,” Hamas added.

However a political adviser to the Hamas prime minister said he supported Hamdallah’s selection despite the Gaza government’s opposition to forming a government unilaterally.

Yousef Rezka told Ma’an that Hamadallah had the academic vision and experience to form a national unity government. He added that Hamadallah could prove his impartiality by re-opening Hamas offices in the West Bank and releasing all political prisoners.

Rezka added that Hamas rejects the appointment for legal reasons, because the government was supposed to be a unity government which included Hamas.