Palestinian president nominates senior Fatah official as new PM

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Sunday nominated senior Palestinian official Mohamed Ishtayeh to form a new Palestinian government, a Palestinian official said.

"I congratulate my brother and friend Mohamed Ishtayeh for being nominated to form the new government," Hussein al-Sheikh, Minister of Civil Affairs and a member of Fatah Central Committee, wrote on his Twitter account.

Ishtayeh, also a member of Fatah Central Committee, will start his consultations immediately to form a new Palestinian government that will succeed the former consensus one headed by Rami Hamdallah.

Newly-appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Ishtayeh signs documents at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, March 10, 2019. /VCG Photo

Born in 1958 in the West Bank, Ishtayeh was the former minister of public work and housing in the Palestinian Authority. He is also an academic, economic expert and a former member in the Palestinian peace negotiations team with Israel.

Earlier, the Fatah Central Committee, which is chaired by Abbas, and Fatah Revolutionary Council, recommended forming a new Palestinian government headed by a member of the movement's Central Committee.

(CGTN)