Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has offered his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas just two weeks after taking office, an official in his press office told Reuters on Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether Abbas would accept the resignation by Hamdallah, an academic and political independent whose cabinet convened for the first time last week. The official told Reuters Hamdallah made the abrupt, unexpected move because of a "dispute over his powers". A note on Hamdallah's Facebook page said his decision came after "outside interferences in his powers and duties". His cabinet consists overwhelmingly of members of the Fatah faction led by Abbas and political commentators had immediately questioned how much leeway he would have to manoeuvre. Hamdallah's predecessor, American-educated economist Salam Fayyad, resigned in April after six years in power defined by tough economic challenges and rivalries with Fatah politicians eager to control the levers of power. Abbas chose Hamdallah while considering that Western countries who help keep the struggling West Bank government afloat with aid money were keen to see clean hands at the helm. Corruption allegations have dogged Fatah and Palestinian government officials for years, and a successor who would meet donors' expectations would be difficult to find. -- SPA 18:52 LOCAL TIME 15:52 GMT تغريد
