Palestinian government denies any ministerial changes, Fatah deems it illegal

Thursday December 06, 2007 15:01 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

The Palestinian minister of information and official spokesperson of the Palestinian caretaker government, Reyad Al Malki, stated that the government will not make any ministerial changes.

Salam Fayyad - Palestinian Prime Minister

Fatah leaders told the London based Arabic newspaper Al Shark Al Awousat that the movement will however aim to change the current government from caretaker government to full government in order to make changes in the major ministries.

Fatah leaders stressed their fear of losing funding if ministerial change include Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, since it is he who was trusted with funding by the west.

Al Malki dismissed suggestions that Fatah are pushing for ministerial changes and claimed that this was a ploy to create chaos and confusion in Palestinian areas.

Fayeds government was appointed by the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abass of Fatah in late July after Hamass took over the Gaza Strip following a severe internal in fight between the rival factions of Fatah and Hamas.

President Abass appointed Fayed and his government as a caretaker government and fired the Hamas led government.

It was reported to the media by Fatah officials that the movement is not happy with Fayeds ministerial appointments as he filled theses portfolios with politicians who were close to independent and left-wing parties.

The anger with the appointments made centers around the ministry of foreign affairs and the ministries for education and for interior. Officials fear that these are closer to Hamas than Fatah and demand that these ministries are run solely by Fatah.

However Fatah M.P. Abdullah Abdullah, stated that the issue here is not making Fatah officials ministers but the changing of the caretaker government to a normal government, adding that Fatah would make ministerial changes only because some ministers are not doing their job efficiently.

palestine | palestinian politics | news report ghassanb at imemc dot org