GAZA CITY // Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, accepted the resignation of his newly appointed prime minister yesterday despite three meetings urging him to retract the decision.
Rami Hamdallah offered his resignation on Thursday, just two weeks after he was sworn in as premier and amid efforts by the United States to restart peace negotiations with Israel.
The decision took many by surprise, which analysts said likely signalled infighting over the distribution of power between the presidency and the prime minister's office.
A Palestinian Authority source told AFP that the decision had been taken when Mr Abbas and Mr Hamdallah met during the morning for their third meeting in 48 hours.
"President Abbas has accepted the resignation of Hamdallah after he refused to work with two deputies," the source said.
Mr Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdaineh, said the president designated Mr Hamdallah to head an interim government.
Mr Abbas initially requested that Mr Hamdallah, an academic with no political experience, reconsider his position. A Palestinian official told Maan news agency that Mr Abbas met Mr Hamdallah on Saturday but efforts to persuade him to stay on ultimately failed.
Among the names being floated for the next prime minister is Mohammad Shtayyeh, a charismatic Fatah official who is close to Mr Abbas.
The next premier may struggle to secure the degree of independence that defined the six-year tenure of Mr Hamdallah's predecessor, Salam Fayyad. A former IMF economist, he gained respect internationally and among a section of Palestinians for streamlining government institutions and tacking corruption.
Mr Fayyad's no-nonsense governing style also put him at odds with Mr Abbas and the Fatah faction that he chairs. Coupled with an acute economic crisis exacerbated by Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, Fatah's opposition to Mr Fayyad's policies are believed to have ultimately forced his resignation in April.
Analysts said Mr Abbas wanted the next prime minister to toe Fatah's line. Moreover, they say, the Palestinian president created the position of two deputy prime ministers after Mr Fayyad resigned to weaken the powers of the prime ministry.
Those deputies, Mohammed Mustafa and Ziad Abu Amr, reportedly clashed with Mr Hamdallah from the outset.
Daoud Kuttab, a political analyst who lives in Jerusalem and Amman, Jordan, said Mr Hamdallah's lack of political experience probably played a significant role in his decision to resign so soon.
"I think he was in above his head," he said. "He's not a politician and I don't think he knew how to finesse the situation he was in."
Mr Kuttab described Mr Hamdallah as a "control freak", citing his leadership style during the 15 years as president of An Najah National University in Nablus, the West Bank's largest university.
"He controls everything at Najah, but in politics you can't do that. You have to have compromise," he said.
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, is due to return to the region this week in his effort to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Mr Abbas has refused to engage Israel in peace talks until it stops constructing settler homes in the occupied Palestinian territories, which are wanted to form a Palestinian state.
Mr Abbas has ruled by decree since 2009, having repeatedly postponed presidential and parliamentary elections primarily because of the split between his Fatah faction in the West Bank and Gaza's Hamas rulers.
The latter swept the last round of parliamentary polls, in 2006, precipitating a crisis that led to the Islamist group's takeover of Gaza a year later.
Last month, Hamas and Fatah vowed to form a unity government of technocrats and hold national elections but there have not been any signs that the sides are moving towards forming a government.
The factions have struggled to implement the reconciliation accord they brokered in May 2011. Forming a unity government on independent figures is part of that accord.
hnaylor@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Reuters
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
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COMPANY PROFILE
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Founder: Areej Selmi
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Points Classification after Stage 1
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3. Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus / Team Sky) 15
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.