Rami Hamdallah

Rami Hamdallah
رامي حمدالله
Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 June 2014
President	Mahmoud Abbas
Preceded by	Himself Ismail Haniyeh
Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Disputed
In office 6 June 2013 – 2 June 2014
President	Mahmoud Abbas
Preceded by	Salam Fayyad
Succeeded by	Himself
Personal details
Born	10 August 1958 Anabta, West Bank
Political party	Fatah
Alma mater	University of Jordan University of Manchester Lancaster University

Rami Hamdallah (Arabic: رامي حمدالله‎‎; born on 10 August 1958) is a Palestinian politician and academic. He is the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority and the president of An-Najah National University in Nablus.^[1]

On 2 June 2013, the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas named him to succeed Salam Fayyad as prime minister.^[2] His appointment was not recognized by Hamas, who were not consulted in the decision.^[3] He is a member of Fatah;^[4] however, the BBC states that he is a political independent.^[5] On 20 June 2013, Hamdallah tendered his resignation, which Abbas accepted on 23 June.^[6] Six weeks after that, Abbas asked Hamdallah to form a new government, which he did on 19 September 2013.^[7] He was appointed the head of the Palestinian government of 2014 on 2 June 2014.^[8]

Early life and education

Rami Hamdallah was born in Anabta in the northern West Bank on 10 August 1958.^[9] He graduated from the University of Jordan in 1980 and received his MA from the University of Manchester in 1982. Hamdallah completed a PhD in linguistics at Lancaster University in 1988.

Career

Hamdallah, widely known as Abu Walid ('Father of Walid', after one of his deceased children) is a professor at An-Najah National University, where he was hired in 1982 as English instructor. He was appointed president of the university in 1998. During his 15 years' term, he tripled the student enrollment, which now numbers 20,000 students on 4 campuses. He also opened a 400-bed teaching hospital. He served as the secretary general of Palestinian Central Elections Commission from 2002 to 2013.^[10] He was the commission's deputy chairman in 2011.^[3][11] He sworn in as prime minister on 6 June 2013^[12] and replaced Salam Fayyad in the post.^[13] Only two weeks into the job, however, Hamdallah tendered his resignation, reportedly as result of interference with Hamdallah's authority by Abbas' aides.^[14] On 23 June 2013, Abbas accepted Hamdallah's resignation, but appointed him as the head of the interim government.^[15] Hamdallah's resignation was praised by Mohammed Dajani, the founder of the Wastia Movement of Moderate Islam in the West Bank, who stated that "I respect him for taking this decision. They thought he would be window dressing and he would not accept that."^[16]

Six weeks after Hamdallah's resignation, Abbas asked him to form a new government, which he did on 19 September 2013.^[7]

Personal life and views

Three of his children, 11-year-old twins and a 9-year-old boy, were killed in a car accident. He believes the only investment Palestinians can make is in education.^[17]

References

1. "Faculty Profile at An-Najah University". An Najah University. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
2. "Abbas to appoint Rami Hamdallah as next Palestinian PM". Ynet. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
3. "Rami Hamdallah Appointed Prime Minister Of Palestine By President Mahmoud Abbas". Huffington Post. 2 June 2013.
4. "Abbas names new Palestinian prime minister". Al Jazeera English. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
5. "Mahmoud Abbas appoints new Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah". BBC. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
6. "Abbas accepts resignation of Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah". BBC. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
7. "New Palestinian Authority government carbon copy of old". Los Angeles Times. 19 September 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
8. "Palestinian unity government sworn in by Mahmoud Abbas". BBC. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
9. H - Personalities. Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs.
10. Bobb, Scott (3 June 2013). "Palestinians Give Mixed Reaction to New Prime Minister". Voice of America. Jerusalem. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
11. Abukhater, Maher; Sanders, Edmund (2 June 2013). "Palestinian Authority picks Rami Hamdallah as prime minister". Los Angeles Times.
12. Kershner, Isabel (20 June 2013). "New Palestinian prime minister submits resignation after two weeks". The Boston Globe. Jerusalem. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
13. Browning, Noah (20 June 2013). "New Palestinian prime minister offers resignation". Reuters. Ramallah. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
14. Khoury, Jack (23 June 2013). "Abbas accepts resignation of newly appointed Palestinian PM Hamdallah". Haaretz. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
15. Basil, Yousuf (24 June 2013). "Abbas accepts resignation of Palestinian prime minister". CNN. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
16. Greenwood, Phoebe (20 June 2013). "Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah tenders resignation". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
17. Jodi Rudoren, 'Palestinian Authority’s New Premier Admired as ‘Conscience’ New York Times, 3 June 2013.