Salam Fayyad

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Palestinian PM Resigns After Bitter Dispute

Departure could spell trouble for President Abbas

(Newser) - Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigned today, leaving the Palestinians without one of their most moderate and well-respected voices just as the US is launching a new push for Mideast peace. A statement from the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said President Mahmoud Abbas met with Fayyad late in the...

A 'Palestinian Spring'? The Protest Nobody Noticed

Protests raged all week against politicians and high prices

(Newser) - One wave of Middle East protests received little attention this week: Angry Palestinians demonstrated across the West Bank for seven days, but not against an anti-Islamic film . They were opposing their own politicians and economic policies in what could be called a "Palestinian Spring," reports Foreign Policy . The...

Palestinians Slam Gingrich for Calling Them 'Invented'

Candidate causes flap with comments on Jewish Channel

(Newser) - Newt Gingrich has outraged many in the Palestinian community with this line from an interview on the Jewish Channel cable network: "Remember, there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people, who are...

Palestine Could Offer Bright Spot for Arab World

PM Fayyad's economy- first approach a good model: Friedman

(Newser) - Things are bad in the Arab world, but Thomas Friedman sees green shoots in an unlikely place: Palestine. “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to the wider Middle East what off-Broadway is to Broadway,” he writes in the New York Times. “It is where all good and bad ideas...

Palestinian PM Steps Down to Pave Way for Power Share

Move aimed at easing Palestinian reconciliation

(Newser) - Palestine’s prime minister submitted his resignation today, a move that could help pave the way for an elusive power-sharing deal between Fatah moderates and Hamas militants. Salam Fayyad's decision was meant to build confidence before Palestinian reconciliation talks resume Tuesday in Cairo. He was appointed by Western-backed Palestinian President...

Israel Pledges to Pull 50 West Bank Roadblocks

Rice hails deal, but Palestine officials are skeptical

(Newser) - Pressured by Condoleezza Rice to kickstart flagging peace talks, Israel pledged to remove about 50 roadblocks from the West Bank—the first in a series of “concrete steps” to finalize a deal, Al Jazeera reports. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad hailed the news despite skepticism from other officials. “...

US 'Will Never Pressure Israel' on Security: VP

Hamas calls Cheney 'biased' during Jerusalem visit

(Newser) - The US supports recent Israeli strikes on Palestine and "will never pressure Israel to take steps that threaten its security," Dick Cheney said in Jerusalem today. On a trip to spur stalled peace talks, Cheney is meeting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leaders this weekend. A...

US Set to Deliver $150M in Aid to Palestinians

First installment of $550M for strapped Palestinian Authority

(Newser) - The US promised today to transfer $150 million in aid to the economically ailing Palestinian Authority, marking the first installment of $550 million the US pledged at a donors' conference in December, Reuters reports. The contribution will be the largest single donation since the Authority was launched in 1994, Prime...

E. Jerusalem Settlements Rile Palestinians

New Israeli housing in future capital creates controversy

(Newser) - The contentious issue of post-Annapolis Israeli settlement has flared up again after the government began construction of hundreds of new homes in East Jerusalem, the putative capital of an independent Palestine. Although PM Ehud Olmert has frozen construction of new homes in the West Bank, the housing minister said today...

Bush: Iran a 'Threat to World Peace'

President reiterates threat at beginning of Mideast visit

(Newser) - President Bush called Iran a "threat to world peace," and reaffirmed America's support for Israel today in the first visit to that country of his presidency. Bush's tough talk came in response to the harassment of US ships by Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz last weekend....

Abbas Swears in New Gov't
Abbas Swears in New Gov't

Abbas Swears in New Gov't

Outlaws militant arm of Hamas

(Newser) - 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...

Abbas Names New PM, Asks for Gov't
Abbas Names New PM,
Asks for Gov't

Abbas Names New PM, Asks for Gov't

During eerie calm in Gaza, rivals claim post; Hamas extends amnesty

(Newser) - Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has asked a former finance minister to form an emergency government, hours after the Hamas-Fatah coalition authority collapsed. Salam Fayyad, an independent legislator, will have to contend with Hamas' Ismail Hayineh, who still lays a claim to the PM's office.

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