By Stan Goodenough
Jun 17, 2007
Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas swore in an emergency PA government in Ramallah Sunday afternoon in the wake of last week’s Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip.
Salaam Fayad was named the new PA prime minister.
Down in Gaza, however, popularly-elected PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh ignored Abbas, insisting that he and his Hamas terrorists still make up the elected Palestinian Authority.
Hamas declared the new cabinet “illegitimate and illegal” and vowed not to recognize it and not to work with it.”
In the words of one international journalist, there are now two “Palestines” – one led by the Islamist Hamas in Gaza, the other comprised of so-called independent technocrats under Fatah’s Abbas, in land the world calls “the West Bank.”
The situation is worrying some in the “Palestinian” leadership.
An almost frantic Saeb Erekat – senior spokesman for Abbas, told CNN Sunday evening:
“I see a catastrophe. I see the separation of Gaza and the West Bank and I believe there are some in this region who are exploiting our people,” he said, apparently referring to Iran, which is known to be a major supporter of Hamas.