Salam Fayyad stepped down as Palestinian prime minister and immediately resumed the post on Friday as part of a plan by President Mahmoud Abbas to extend the tenure of his emergency government, an official said. Abbas formed the government last month after breaking with Hamas over its seizure of Gaza Strip.
"The prime minister has resigned and the president has reappointed him," Agriculture and Social Affairs Minister Mahmoud al-Habbash told Reuters. "Everything took place in line with the Basic Law," he noted.
The new government is exactly like the old one, plus a few extra ministers. The measure was needed because the emergency cabinet could last for only 30 days unless parliament ratified it.
