(Newser)
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Mahmoud Abbas swore in his emergency government today, 3 days after Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip. Salam Fayyad, a former World Bank economist, will head the new government, composed largely of independents. Unsurprisingly, Hamas says it will not recognize Abbas's regime, and declares the original unity government still in power.
The somber swearing in ceremony came as a Lebanese bomb hit northern Israel, the first possible Hezbollah attack since an August cease fire. Meanwhile, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip is becoming increasingly isolated. Abbas just outlawed Hamas's military arm, and Israeli companies have stopped delivering fuel to the region. "We must close them off totally," says Israel's soon-to-be defense minister.
