Abbas spokesman named deputy Palestinian prime minister
Hamas in Gaza Strip condemns selection of Nabil Abu Rudeina, says it runs contrary to efforts at reconciliation with rivals Fatah, who dominate West Bank government
Screen capture from video of Nabil Abu Rudeinah, spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. (YouTube)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman has been named deputy prime minister, the PA announced on Thursday, a move criticized by his rivals from the Hamas terror group that rules the Gaza Strip.
Nabil Abu Rudeina will serve as deputy prime minister and information minister, the government said.
The move comes amid talk of fresh attempts at reconciliation between Abbas’s West Bank-based Fatah and the Hamas.
Hamas said it ran contrary to those efforts, which have repeatedly failed in the past.
“Any reconciliation agreement must be submitted to a unity government and not to a Fatah government,” said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas chairs a meeting at the PA headquarters in Ramallah, July 28, 2018. (ABBAS MOMANI/AFP)
Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah told journalists the appointment was part of the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to develop the information sector.
Abu Rudeina will retain his position as spokesman for the Palestinian presidency.
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