GAZA CITY
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the Gaza Strip along with members of a new coalition government once the latter have been officially sworn in, a leading member of Abbas's Fatah movement said Tuesday.
"Abbas and members of the new coalition government will visit the Gaza Strip after the latter are sworn in within a few days," Yahiya Rabbah told Anadolu Agency.
"The visit is meant to reiterate the idea that the new government is representative of all Palestinians," Rabbah said.
Fatah and the rival Hamas group – which has ruled Gaza since 2007 – announced in a joint statement on Tuesday that they had settled on members of a new unity government.
The new government will be the product of a recent agreement ending a years-long rift between the two groups.
The announcement came during a visit by senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad, who arrived in Gaza on Monday to finalize details of the new cabinet with Hamas officials.
Earlier Tuesday, Hamas said it had agreed with Fatah to name PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah head of the new unity government, members of which would be revealed within days.
Last month, Hamas and Fatah, the latter of which rules the occupied West Bank, hammered out a reconciliation deal with a view to ending the rifts that have marred their relations since 2007.
The deal calls for the formation of a government of national accord to serve until legislative and presidential elections can be held in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
By Mustafa Haboosh
http://www.aa.com.tr/en
