Rami Hamdallah, the newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister (photo credit: Reuters)

“Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and his West Bank-based government were sworn in on Thursday and one of their main challenges will be reaching a power-sharing deal with the Islamist Hamas movement ruling Gaza,” reports Haaretz. “Hamdallah, a political independent and linguistics professor, was named on Sunday by Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas to replace Salam Fayyad, who quit in April but remained in his post while a successor was sought.”

“This is my government and you have all my trust and protection,” Abbas said to the new cabinet members in broadcast remarks. “This government will work hard in the time available to it, whether it be weeks, months or whatever.”

“Hamas has called Hamdallah’s appointment illegal and said Abbas should have focused instead on ending the internal Palestinian divide,” Haaretz noted. “Fayyad, a former World Bank official credited with building Palestinian institutions needed to gain independence from Israel, resigned over an economic crisis caused by cuts in Western funds and temporary Israeli freezes on money transfers imposed over unilateral Palestinian moves on statehood. As prime minister, Hamdallah is expected to focus on a domestic agenda, particularly the Palestinian economy. He will have two deputies, political science professor Zeyad Abu Amr, and Mohammed Mustafa, who heads the Palestine Investment Fund.”

Please pray for Prime Minister Hamdallah and for the Palestinian people. Please pray especially for Palestinian Christians and for the Lord to bless and be gracious to these people who have endured so many hardships from so many directions.