Israel Matzav

'Palestinians' appoint new 'Prime Minister'

'Moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen has appointed British-educated English professor Rami Hamdullah as his new 'Prime Minister.' Hamdullah replaces Salam Fayyad.

The Wafa agency said Abbas appointed academic Rami Hamdullah on Sunday evening. Hamdullah replaces Salam Fayyad, a respected U.S.-educated economist who was seen as being too independent and frequently clashed with Abbas.

Hamdullah is a member of the Fatah Party led by Abbas. He is now tasked with forming a new technocratic government.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

Hamdullah has no prior political or government experience. He is a British-educated English professor and dean of al-Najah University in the West Bank.

Back in April, I reported that Hamdullah, the President of an-Najah University, was a candidate for the position. 

I'm sure that the US and the Europeans would be thrilled to have Hamdallah. Educated in Jordan and England, Hamdallah has been the president of An-Najah since 1998. The picture below was taken at An-Najah University in September 2001, a month after the Sbarro suicide bombing took place:

And indeed, US Secretary of State John FN Kerry has rushed to laud Hamdullah.

In a congratulatory statement, Kerry said Hamdallah's appointment "comes at a moment of challenge, which is also an important moment of opportunity."

Kerry also praised Fayyad for his contributions to Palestinian institutions.

Kerry is scheduled to address the three-day American Jewish Committee parley on Monday and discuss his ongoing efforts to get the sides back to the table.

He is also expected to visit Jordan “within days” to continue efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nassar Judeh said in Ramallah on Sunday following talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"Together, we can choose the path of a negotiated two-state settlement that will allow Palestinians to fulfill their legitimate aspirations, and continue building the institutions of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state that will live in peace, security, and economic strength alongside Israel," Kerry said in the statement addressing Hamdallah's appointment.

Hamas has described Hamdullah's appointment as 'illegal' because it was not approved by the 'Palestinian Legislative Council, and if the rule of law existed in the 'Palestinian Authority,' Hamas would be correct.

Hamas denies that Abbas has the authority to appoint Salam Fayyad as prime minister, because Abbas is not legally the president of Palestine under Article 65 and because Fayyad has not been empowered as prime minister by the Palestinian Legislative Council as required by Article 66 of the Basic Law. Neither his first appointment, on June 15, 2007, nor his reappointment on May 19, 2009, was confirmed by the PLC as required. Hamas, which controls the majority in the PLC, considers the legal prime minister of the Palestinian Authority to continue to be Ismail Haniyeh, a senior political leader of Hamas. Haniyeh was empowered by the PLC to be prime minister of Palestine in February 2006. Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from the office on June 14, 2007, after the Gaza coup, but Haniyeh counters that this decree violated articles 45, 78, and 83 and that he continues to exercise prime ministerial authority under Article 83. The PLC also continues to recognize Haniyeh's authority as prime minister. Here again, Hamas has the law on its side.

So let's sum this up: Abu Mazen has illegally appointed as Prime Minister someone with no government or political experience, who has spent the last 15 years as President of a university that has served as a center of terrorism, and who is not acceptable to the majority party in his own 'legislative council.'

US Secretary of State John FN Kerry must have really been grasping at straws when he 'lauded' this appointment. It's not like Hamdullah was appointed Commissioner of the IRS or to some other position whose only job is supposed to be persecuting Obama's enemies.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Abu Mazen, An-Najah University, Fatah, Hamas, Palestinian Authority, Rami Hamdullah, Salam Fayyad

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:57 AM