Palestinians close to deal on new PM
Middle East Desk Report

GAZA—A U.S.-educated Palestinian academic is the top candidate to replace Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas as part of a bid by rival factions to ease a Western aid blockade, Palestinian officials said on Monday.
A senior official said 60-year-old Mohammad Shbair, a former head of the Islamic University in Gaza considered close to the governing Hamas movement, had agreed to be nominated for the post.
But Shbair told Reuters he had not been officially approached and that no final decisions have been made. The nomination must still be endorsed by President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate from the previously dominant Fatah faction.
“When the president asks me, then I will have my say,” Shbair said. Palestinians hope a new prime minister and a coalition cabinet will ease Western sanctions imposed after Hamas, which is committed to Israel’s destruction, came to power in March.
“We are facing a new era in which we will all work side by side and shoulder to shoulder in order to be able to protect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,” said Ahmed Qurie, a senior Fatah official who is also a former prime minister.
“The coming days will witness the true breakthrough, and the responsibilities upon the leaders will become greater.” Hamas declined comment. It was not clear that Hamas was ready to have Shbair named until all members of a unity government were worked out.
“We can say that Fatah did not give any objections. Mohammad Shbair is a candidate by Hamas, and Fatah has no objection. Therefore, he has a big chance,” said Rudwan al-Akhras, a spokesman for Fatah’s parliamentary bloc. Abbas, who traveled to Jordan for a two-day visit on Monday, was not expected to be able to endorse Shbair formally until the end of the week, at the earliest.
The United States and European Union regard Hamas as a terrorist organization and have cut off direct aid to its administration. As a result, the Palestinian government has largely been unable to pay its 165,000 workers since April.
Washington and Brussels have demanded Hamas recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence and abide by existing peace agreements with Israel if it wants to be recognized.
It is not certain that the formation of a “technical” government with no formal affiliation with Hamas will convince Western powers to lift their restrictions, but the Israeli press says Shbair’s name has been approved by the Americans.
Shbair is a U.S.-educated scientist and an Islamist who is described as close to Hamas but not formally among its members. “It is not yet suitable to announce the name of the prime minister,” Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, told Reuters.
Speaking to reporters in Gaza, Haniyeh, a top Hamas leader, said: “We do not want to give the agenda to our people piece by piece, we want to give them an entire program all at once.”
Akhras, a Fatah official, said it could still be up to another three weeks before the full government is announced.
Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, spokeswoman for the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, declined to comment specifically on Shbair, but said Washington has been in contact with Abbas during the negotiations.
“It’s a Palestinian issue. They’ll decide. We look forward to finding out what the makeup of the new government will be, but more importantly, what the new platform of the new government will be,” she said.
As well as the withholding of foreign aid since Hamas took power, Israel has retained around $55 million a month in taxes it collects on the Palestinians’ behalf. It is not clear if those funds would be released if a new government were formed.