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This
evening, 14 June, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed a decree,
dissolving the Hamas/Fatah coalition government, dismissing Prime Minister Ismail
Haniyeh from his position and declaring a state of emergency.
The decree,
which was announced at 21:00, by Abbas’ media spokesman, Tayieb Abdur Rahim, was
broadcast on Palestinian television during a press conference in Ramallah.
Earlier in
the day, gunmen affiliated to Hamas took control of the Fatah-affiliated
Preventive Security headquarters in Gaza
City. The
facility is the third of four key Fatah security command centers in Gaza City
to fall under Hamas control. This has brought Hamas near to gaining complete
control over the Gaza Strip.
According
to Ma’an news, Salah Bardawil, the spokesperson for the Hamas bloc in
the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) stated, “it is the right of the
president to declaring this for one month, and in this case the government will
form an emergency government. After this, he must go back to the PLC, in order
to renew the state of emergency or to seek a new government.”
Aides to Abbas stated that the PA chairman intends to call for
the deployment of a multi-national force in Gaza. In addition, they said that Abbas would
appoint an independent politician as the new Palestinian prime minister, to
replace Haniyeh.
However, senior Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters, “Hamas rejects the Abbas decisions. In practical terms these decisions
are worthless. Prime Minister Haniyeh remains the head of the government even
if it was dissolved by the president.”
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