Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014

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 was a national unity government from 2 June 2014 to 17 June 2015 under Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. The 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] In fact, this government was illegal, as it was not approved by the Legislative Council.[2][3]

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. Although this unity government formally was a government representing both Fatah and Hamas, the two parties remained hostile to each other as numerous reconciliation attempts have failed so far.

The international community agreed to work with the new government.[4][5][6][7] While the US' reaction was reserved, the Israeli Government condemned the unity government.

On 17 June 2015, the government resigned under protest of Hamas.[8][9] In July and December 2015, Abbas unilaterally reshuffled the cabinet and appointed new ministers, which was denounced by Hamas. Although Hamas did not recognize the new ministers and rejected the one-sided changes, the reshuffling was called "technical and not political",[10] and the new cabinet was presented as a slightly changed existing government, still called "consensus government".[11]

Background

Pursuant to the Oslo Accords, the authority of the PA Government is limited to some civil rights of the Palestinians in the West Bank Areas A and B and in the Gaza Strip, and to internal security in Area A and in Gaza. Since 2007, Gaza has de facto been ruled by Hamas alone.

On 3 May 2011, Fatah and Hamas signed the 2011 Cairo agreement,[12] which promised the formation of a consensus government with the aim to prepair Presidential, Legislative and Palestinian National Council elections to be held in May 2012. Other tasks would be the formation of a "Higher Security Committee", the reconstruction operations in the Gaza Strip (after the 2008/2009 Operation Cast Lead) and the efforts to end the siege and blockade imposed on Gaza, end the split of the governments in West Bank and Gaza, and reactivate the Palestinian Legislative Council.[13]

In the Fatah–Hamas Doha Agreement of 7 February 2012, both parties again agreed to form an interim national consensus government composed of independent technocrats, to prepare for upcoming elections. It would be led by President Mahmoud Abbas. After the implementation of the agreement had been stalled, allegedly because Hamas leaders had refused to allow the registration of new voters in Gaza, a new agreement was signed in May 2012. Eventually, a unity government did not materialize and President Abbas established a new Palestinian Authority Government in the West Bank on 6 June 2013, headed by Rami Hamdallah.

On 1 April 2014, the Palestinians submitted official requests to join 15 UN conventions and treaties, when Israel refused to abide its commitment to release a batch of prisoners as a condition for peace talks.[14] On 23 April 2014, Fatah and Hamas concluded the 2014 Fatah–Hamas Gaza Agreement to form a national unity government within five weeks, to be followed by general elections as soon as December.[15] An Israeli official declared that the Israeli decision to scrap the release of prisoners came after Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour had announced to join the 15 UN conventions.[15]

Establishment

The Government was inaugurated on 2 June 2014 following the 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.[16]

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.[17]

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 after June 2007, which were installed by presidential decree, this unity government was in fact illegal, as it was not approved by the Legislative Council.[2][3] Without the cooperation of all parties, however, it was not possible to get the necessary quorum to put a vote.[18]

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.[19]

Dispute about the Prisoners' Affairs Ministry

Hours before the swearing-in ceremony on 2 June, 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.[20][21] 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.[16][17]

In September 2014, the PA declared that the Prisoners Affairs Ministry was replaced with the new established "Higher National Commission for Prisoners and Detainees Affairs", headed by former PA Prisoners Affairs Minister Issa Qaraqe. The Commission came under the responsibility of the PLO. The move was said to have been taken at the request of Israel and Western donor countries, who objected the financial aid the former Ministry provided to Palestinian prisoners of Israel.[22]

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.[23] Abu Ein was killed on 10 December 2014, during a peaceful protest in the West Bank.[23]

International reactions

The European Union, the United Nations, the United States, China, India, Russia and Turkey all agreed to work with the new government.[4][5][6][7] The US-based Palestine Center wrote that despite the fact that Hamas was explicitly not involved in the government, US mainstream coverage of the new government focused on Hamas' involvement, echoing Israeli talking points about the government by overstating the alleged role Hamas played in it, in an effort to label it a "terrorist" government.[24]

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Washington would work with the new Palestinian government while continuing to watch it closely.[25] He expressed “concern about Hamas’ role in any such government”.[26] 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 four prospective ministers from the Gaza Strip to the occupied West Bank,[17] while it called on the international community to shun the new Palestinian government.[27][28] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended peace talks with Abbas.[26]

Timeline

Although initially the primary task of the national consensus government was to prepare for legislative and presidential elections to be held after six months, its focus soon shifted to more urgent questions. On 14 June 2014, less than 2 weeks after the inauguration, the Israeli military started major raids on Palestinian areas throughout the West Bank, following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenager settlers, which continued for some weeks. Militants in the Gaza Strip responded with increased rocket fire at Israel. On 8 July, Israel launched an unprecedented military operation against Gaza with over 2,100 Palestinian killed and wide-scale destruction of civilian property and infrastructure. The government now focussed to rebuilding the war-shattered and impoverished enclave.[19] The Palestinian Unity Government 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 in November 2014.[3]

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.[29][30] Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri criticized the PA for the arrest of hundreds of Hamas operatives[31] 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".[30] 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.[31]

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.[8][9] Hamas, however, rejected any unilateral dissolution of the Palestinian consensus government without holding discussions with all parties.[8][9]

Members of the Government

June 2014 to June 2015 [32][24]

Minister Office Party
1 Rami Hamdallah Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior 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 Youssef Ideiss Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs
18 Ziad Abu Ein (until 10 Dec. 2014) ** Head of the department for the struggle against the Israeli West Bank barrier and the settlements (Rank of Minister) [23] Fatah
19 Ali Mahmoud Abdullah Abu-Diak Secretary-General of the Cabinet (Rank of Minister)
* In September 2014, the portfolio of Prisoners' Affairs was transferred to the PLO's "Higher National Commission for Prisoners and Detainees Affairs"
** Killed on 10 December 2014, during a peaceful protest in the West Bank.[23]

Aftermath

July reshuffle

On 1 July 2015, a cabinet reshuffle was announced. President Mahmoud Abbas appointed 5 new ministers.

Hamas was not consulted over the move and 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 the 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.[11]

Although Hamas did not recognize the new ministers and rejected the one-sided changes, the reshuffling was called "technical and not political",[10] and the new cabinet was presented as a slightly changed existing government, still called "consensus government".[11]

December reshuffle

On 14 December 2015, President Abbas announced a minor cabinet reshuffle. Three ministers were replaced. [18][34]

The new cabinet members were more loyal to Abbas. Palestinian officials accused the President of abusing his powers to settle scores with political rivals in the PLO and his own Fatah faction. Earlier, Abbas had fired Yasser Abed Rabbo as PLO secretary-general on 30 June 2015 and dismissed as head of the Darwish Foundation in December. Abbas also dismissed by presidential decree 25 members of the board of directors of a foundation created to preserve the cultural, literal and intellectual heritage of Mahmoud Darwish[18] and declared the Union of Public Employees illegal in 2014.[35]

Hamas denounced the unilateral step and did not recognise the new ministers.[34] Also former Minister of State and Fatah official Hasan Asfour criticized the decrees, saying that they amounted to a “hijacking of Palestinian legitimacy.”[18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Thumbnails of key ministers in Palestinian Cabinet. Associated Press, 2 June 2014
  2. 1 2 2003 Amended Basic Law, Article 66: "Once the Prime Minister selects the members of the government, the Prime Minister shall submit a request to the Legislative Council to hold a special session for a vote of confidence ... The session shall be held no later than one week from the date of submission of the request." Article 67: "After obtaining the vote of confidence and before assuming their offices, the Prime Minister and members of the government shall take the constitutional oath, stipulated in Article 35 of this Basic Law, before the President of the National Authority."
    2003 Amended Basic Law, 18 March 2003
  3. 1 2 3 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."
  4. 1 2 International community welcomes Palestinian unity government. The Jerusalem Post, 6 March 2014
  5. 1 2 India and China Back Unified Palestinian Government. Ankit Panda, The Diplomat, 4 June 2014
  6. 1 2 Obama administration to work with Palestinian unity government. Wroughton, Lesley and Zengerle, Patricia, Reuters, 2 June 2014
  7. 1 2 "Amid wave of endorsements, PM 'troubled' by U.S. decision to work with Palestinian gov't". Haaretz. 3 June 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Palestinian unity government resigns. Al Jazeera, 17 June 2015
  9. 1 2 3 Hamas Rejects 'One-sided' Dissolution of Palestinian Government. Haaretz, 17 June 2015
  10. 1 2 Abbas to reshuffle Palestinian gov't. Xinhua, 1 July 2015
  11. 1 2 3 New cabinet reshuffle on consensus government. Ma’an, 1 July 2015
  12. ↑ Support the Palestinian unity government. Jimmy Carter, Washington Post, 3 May 2011
  13. ↑ Text Of The Agreement Between Fatah And Hamas, 3 May 2011. Source:United Nations Peacemaker
  14. ↑ Israel scraps Palestinian prisoner release in blow to peace talks. France 24/AP/Reuters, 3 April 2014
  15. 1 2 The rival Palestinian leaderships of Fatah and Hamas made a fresh attempt .... France 24/AP, 23 April 2014
  16. 1 2 Palestinian unity government prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections. Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post, 2 June 2014
  17. 1 2 3 Prime Minister Condemns Israeli Calls to Boycott, Impose Sanctions on New Unity Government. WAFA, 3 June 2014
  18. 1 2 3 4 Abbas takes aim at political enemies with mass dismissals, cabinet reshuffle. Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post, 17 December 2015
  19. 1 2 Palestinian political crisis deepens with collapse of unity government. Al Jazeera America, 19 June 2015
  20. ↑ Palestinian unity government sworn in at Ramallah ceremony. Ynetnews, 2 June 2014
  21. ↑ Palestinians hail unity as new government sworn in. Times of Israel, 2 June 2014
  22. ↑ PA replaces prisoners ministry with PLO body. Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post, 2 September 2014
  23. 1 2 3 4 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."
  24. 1 2 Who's Who in the New PA Government. The Jerusalem Fund, 9 June 2014
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. 1 2 Palestinians hail unity as new government sworn in. Times of Israel/AFP, 2 June 2014
  27. ↑ Palestinians form consensus government. Al Jazeera, 3 June 2014
  28. ↑ "Palestinian unity government sworn in by Mahmoud Abbas". BBC News (British Broadcasting Corporation). 2 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  29. ↑ Hamas says unity government is over. Jerusalem Post, 30 November 2014
  30. 1 2 Hamas: Palestinian unity govt has expired. Ma'an, 30 November 2014
  31. 1 2 Fatah official denies unity government mandate has ended. Times of Israel, 1 December 2014
  32. ↑ 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
  33. ↑ Palestinian Authority to reshuffle government. Al Bawaba, 31 July 2015 Expanding article
  34. 1 2 Palestinian Authority government reshuffle angers Hamas. Middle East Eye (MEE), 14 December 2015
  35. ↑ Why is the Palestinian Authority waging a war on the Union of Public Employees?. Amon al-Sheikh, Al-Akhbar, 14 November 2014
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, February 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.