RAMALLAH, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said on Monday that he was willing to resign to support the efforts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to form a new government.
Hamdallah welcomed the recommendations of the Fatah Central Committee to form a new government, and has "put his government at the disposal of President Mahmoud Abbas," the government spokesman Yousef al-Mahmoud said in a statement.
Abbas' Fatah party proposed on Sunday evening to form a new national unity government that would include members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Fatah said the decision was made after reconciliation talks with Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip for more than 12 years and is not part of the PLO, have failed.
In addition, the Constitutional Court decided to dissolve the Palestinian Legislative Council last December and new legislative elections will be held within six months, Fatah added.
The Prime Minister of the new government will be announced following consultations with the PLO, said Mahmoud Aloul, vice chairman of Fatah, on the official Palestinian TV.
Aloul said a committee composed of Fatah Central Committee members has been set up to start dialogue with the PLO on forming a new government, adding that the new government is not linked to the elections.
Meanwhile, Hamas criticized Fatah's attempts to create a new government, saying it comes with no "national consensus."
In an interview with Xinhua, Hamas Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum accused Fatah of evading its responsibilities of broadening the internal division, stressing that it is necessary to form a national unity government of all political factions to prepare for the general elections.
The Palestinian government led by Hamdallah was formed in 2014 under national reconciliation agreements between PLO factions and Hamas.
