ENOUGH

Palestine's Prime Minister and Unity Government to Resign

Major blow to reconciliation efforts with Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers.

Palestine's prime minister and his unity government have informed the country's president, Mahmoud Abbas, that they want to resign. Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah was the head of the the national unity government, which was formed in 2014, and has led reconciliation efforts with Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers. The PM's decision to resign comes after Abbas' ruling Fatah faction said the government should be replaced in an attempt to increase pressure on Hamas. Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation deal two years ago, but disputes over power-sharing and disagreements over policy toward Israel have stalled the deal from being put into action. Abbas will now need to decide whether to accept the resignations.