Palestinian government mulls resigning over Gaza

The Palestinian government is considering resigning over its inability to act in the Gaza Strip, with two senior officials telling AFP the move will come within 24 hours.

“The government will resign in the next 24 hours because this one is weak and there is no chance that Hamas will allow it to work in Gaza,” says Amin Maqbul, secretary general of the ruling Fatah movement’s Revolutionary Council.

The government’s intention was confirmed by another senior Palestinian official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Islamist Hamas movement ruled Gaza for seven years, but its administration stepped down last June when the Ramallah-based consensus government was sworn in.

Comprised of independent technocrats, the government lineup was agreed by both Fatah and Hamas and was given a mandate to govern both the West Bank and Gaza, ending seven years of separate administrations.

But in practice, it has been unable to extend its authority to Gaza, which was devastated by a deadly 50-day war with Israel last summer and where Hamas remains the de facto power.

“After the government resigns, we will start consultations to form a new government,” Maqbul told AFP, without saying whether the new lineup would be pieced together in consultation with Hamas.

— AFP