US lauds outgoing Palestinian prime minister

The United States praised Salam Fayyad as a “strong partner” on Saturday, speaking to the efforts of the outgoing Palestinian Authority prime minister to care for his people in the international arena.

The American statement came hours after Fayyad tendered his resignation to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, and Abbas accepted it — the culmination of longstanding divisions between the two.

The White House said it appreciated the efforts of Fayyad and Abbas in working with the US and other nations to support the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

“Prime Minister Fayyad has been a strong partner to the international community and a leader in promoting economic growth, state-building, and security for the Palestinian people,” National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said. “We look to all Palestinian leaders to support these efforts.”

Abbas asked Fayyad to continue to serve in his post until he forms a new government. The Palestinian president was expected to name a new prime minister within days, according to Palestinian officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Fayyad has been in office since being appointed in June 2007 by Abbas, following the takeover of Gaza by the rival Islamic terror group Hamas. Fayyad’s authority is largely limited to the West Bank, while Hamas continues to control Gaza.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum criticized rival Fayyad in a statement following his resignation, saying he and his government “worked to protect the Zionist occupation and US interests.”

On Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry called Abbas and urged the two leaders to bury the hatchet in the interest of ensuring regional stability ahead of an American push for peace between the PA and Israel.

As part of that effort, Kerry has said he plans to announce a series of measures to boost the West Bank economy in the coming days. Fayyad, a former official at the International Monetary Fund with expertise in development, was seen by Kerry as key to overseeing such project.

The immediate reason for Fayyad’s resignation was said to be a disagreement with Abbas over the resignation of finance minister Nabil Qassis in early March.

Fayyad accepted Qassis’s resignation, tendered while Abbas was overseas. But according to an unnamed “knowledgeable source” who spoke to Ma’an news agency, the Palestinian president was outraged by the move and decided to sack Fayyad.

Jerusalem sources expressed regret at Fayyad’s resignation, calling him “a moderate who understood the importance of security cooperation with Israel.”

“While his departure may not have direct bearing on the diplomatic process, it may frustrate the Americans who trusted him and saw him as a responsible party,” the sources said.

Tensions between Abbas and Fayyad, an American-trained economist and political independent who enjoys the confidence of the West, have resulted in numerous resignation announcements by Fayyad in the past, none of which has materialized. Some skeptical observers believed that this new resignation was just another public relations maneuver by the disgruntled prime minister.

Last October, Fayyad offered to quit amid a sharp financial crisis and reconciliation talks with Islamic movement Hamas, which views his liberal economic and political positions with suspicion. Fayyad, widely regarded as the mastermind behind the PA’s economic policies, bore the brunt of economic protests that swept the West Bank last September.