Mar 27 2013
Will Palestine Bid Fayyad Farewell?
By Daoud Kuttab
The next few days will reveal whether Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will stay in his position or be replaced. The Palestinian cabinet is due to vote during its weekly meeting Tuesday, March 26 on the annual budget of the state of Palestine. If the budget is approved and then signed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Fayyad will be safe.
Palestine has been full of rumors that Fayyad, a former International Monetary Fund official and prime minister since 2009, might be on his way out following a falling out between him and the Palestinian president.
What exacerbated the case was the resignation of the finance minister, Nabil Kassis. Kassis submitted his resignation to the prime minister in part because he felt that Fayyad had bypassed him to negotiate with some unions who were opposed to the budget. Fayyad accepted Kassis’ resignation immediately without consulting the president. Abbas, who was away at the time, was livid and issued an immediate press statement rejecting the resignation. He asked Tayeb Abdel Rahim — the director-general of his office — to ensure that the problems between Kassis and Fayyad were resolved. Continue Reading »