On Saturday (7th March) Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigned from his post. This move will pave the way for the formation of a national unity government, the prime minister office said in a statement. According to the statement Fayyad has submitted his resignation to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. However, the resignation will come into effect after the formation of a national unity government, most possibly by the end of this month.

 

The announcement of Fayyad's resignation comes just before the resumption of power-sharing talks between Abbas and his rivals from the militant group Hamas. It can be seen as a conciliatory gesture toward the militant group Hamas, which has repeatedly demanded Fayyad's resignation.

 

A politically independent and former World Bank economist, Fayyad was appointed as prime minister by Abbas following the Hamas' bloody takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, which cleaved the Palestinians into two hostile camps.