UPDATE – Palestine: Abbas appoints new prime minister

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT BY NEWLY APPOINTED PRIME MINISTER</p> <p>RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday appointed senior Fatah official Mohammad Shtayeh as a new prime minister, according to the official Wafa news agency. </p> <p>Shtayeh, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, will replace Rami Hamdallah, who tendered his resignation in January upon &quot;recommendations&quot; from Fatah group. </p> <p>Fatah argued that the move was taken over &quot;intransigence&quot; of its rival group Hamas and &quot;its refusal to deal with the national reconciliation government.&quot; </p> <p>Hamas and Fatah have been at odds since the former seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 from Fatah after street fighting.</p> <p>In a statement to Anadolu Agency following his appointment, Shtayeh said: &quot;In line with the instructions of President Abbas, the duty of our government is to ensure the unity, to end the division and to bring the national legitimacy to Gaza.&quot;</p> <p>Noting that the Palestinian cause is passing through a very difficult condition, Shtayeh said that it is important to relieve the pain of the people and to diminish their suffering.</p> <p>&quot;Our people deserve every effort and are aware of the difficult times,&quot; he said. </p> <p>Born in 1958 in a village near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Shtayeh is a Palestinian politician and economic expert. </p> <p>He served as a minister of public works and housing between 2005-2006 and 2008-2010 and head of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction. </p> <p>Shtayeh holds a doctorate in economic development from the University of Sussex, UK, and worked as a professor and dean at Birzeit University.</p> <p> </p> <p>* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev