Abbas swears in new Palestinian Authority Cabinet

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attends the swearing-in ceremony of the new Palestinian government at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah on May 16. Photo by REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a new Cabinet, in a move that could spell the end of a Fatah-Hamas unity government

The new Palestinian government in Ramallah is the second reshuffle of Cabinet positions since it was formed in 2007 under the leadership of PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. In the new government, Fayyad relinquished his Finance Minister portfolio to another political independent, former university president Nabil Qassis, according to the Palestinian Ma’an news service.

The new 21-memebr Cabinet includes nine new members and also includes a record six female ministers, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The Hamas government in Gaza reportedly decried the move, calling it illegitimate and in conflict with the agreement inked in March in Doha to establish a unity government jointly decided by Fatah and Hamas and led by Abbas.