The Second Haniyeh Government, also known as the Palestinian National Unity Government of March 2007 ( ar, المجلس الفلسطيني لآذار 17 2007), was a
Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine, unity government headed by
Ismail Haniyeh
Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh; sometimes transliterated as Haniya, Haniyah, or Hanieh (born 29 January 1962) is a senior political leader of Hamas and formerly one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority. Hani ...
, the
Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
The prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority was the position of the official head of government of the Palestinian Authority government, which operated between 2003 and January 2013, when it was officially transformed into the State ...
that was formed on 17 March 2007 and dissolved on 14 June 2007.
[
The Unity Government was formed on 17 March 2007 following negotiations in Mecca, but due to failing international support (because it did not meet the Quartet conditions), it was short-lived. Israel immediately rejected the Government and said it will deal with Abbas, but not with the new government unless it recognizes the Jewish state. Israeli officials said they would try to persuade the world not to deal with the government.][
The Government was dissolved by President Mahmoud Abbas on 14 June 2007 after the Hamas takeover of Gaza.
]
Background
Hamas decisively won the 2006 Palestinian legislative election
Legislative elections were held in the Palestinian territories on 25 January 2006 in order to elect the second Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The result was a victory for Hamas ...
held on 25 January 2006. Israel and the Quartet on the Middle East
The Quartet on the Middle East or Middle East Quartet, sometimes called the Diplomatic Quartet or Madrid Quartet or simply the Quartet, is a foursome of nations and international and supranational entities involved in mediating the Israeli ...
had previously stated that their continued aid to and dialogue with the PA under a Hamas government was conditional on Hamas agreeing to three conditions: recognition of Israel, the disavowal of violent actions, and acceptance of previous agreements between Israel and the PA, including the Oslo Accords. Haniya refused to accept these conditions. On the day the First Haniyeh Government was sworn in, on 29 March, Israel and the Quartet stopped all dialogue with the PA and especially any member of the Hamas government, ceased providing aid to the PA and imposed sanctions against the PA under Hamas. Israel had also withheld the transfers of PA revenues for more than a year.[''Report on UNCTAD assistance to the Palestinian people: Developments in the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory'']
para 9-24. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 6 July 2015 (doc.nr. TD/B/62/3)
Source
/ref>[''Israel’s retaliatory seizure of tax'']
pp. 10-11. Al-Haq, 1 April 2015
Here available
/ref>
Fatah developed a plan to replace the Hamas-government. According to the plan, a national unity government or a "government of technocrats" would be formed and prepare early presidential and legislative elections. If the establishment of a government meeting the Quartet conditions would fail, President Abbas would announce a state of emergency, dismiss the present cabinet and form an emergency government, or call for early elections.[''Palestinian Vision for Resolving the Current PA Crisis (Draft #6'')]
The Palestine Papers, 30 October 2006. O
/ref>[''The Arab-Israeli Conflict: To Reach a Lasting Peace'']
, pp. 3-4.
Crisis Group Middle East Report N°58, 5 October 2006
Source
The plan was, for the time being, not carried out in full, as indeed a "unity government" was formed in March 2007.
Timeline
On 25 January 2006, Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
won the elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
for the Palestinian Legislative Council
The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is the unicameral legislature of the Palestinian Authority, elected by the Palestinian residents of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It currently comprises 132 members, e ...
(PLC).
On 29 March 2006, the First Haniyeh-led PA government was sworn in. Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
and several other countries impose sanctions against the PA, including suspension of all international aid
In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another.
Ai ...
.
On 17 June 2006, a ''temporary international mechanism'' was created to channel aid to Palestinians bypassing the Hamas-led PA government, including paying aid funds directly to the accounts of President Abbas.
On 8 February 2007, negotiations resulted in the Fatah–Hamas Mecca Agreement
The Fatah–Hamas Mecca Agreement was signed between Fatah and Hamas in the city of Mecca on 8 February 2007, agreeing to stop the internal military confrontations in the Gaza Strip and form a government of national unity. Representatives from the ...
to form a Palestinian national unity government.[Middle East Report No. 62: After Mecca: Engaging Hamas](_blank)
, International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, performing research and analysis on global ...
(26 February 2007). The agreement was signed by Abbas on behalf of Fatah and by Khaled Mashal
Khaled Mashal ( ar, خالد مشعل, Khālid Mashʿal, Levantine Arabic: , born 28 May 1956) is a former leader of the Palestinian organization Hamas.
After the founding of Hamas in 1987, Mashal became the leader of the Kuwaiti branch of th ...
on behalf of Hamas. The agreement also contained a "letter of commission" from Abbas to Haniyeh, calling on Haniyeh as premier of the next government to achieve Palestinian national goals as approved by the Palestine National Council
The Palestinian National Council (PNC) ( ar, المجلس الوطني الفلسطيني, "'Almajlis Alwataniu Alfilastiniu"') is the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and elects the PLO Executive Committee, which ...
, the Basic Law and the National Reconciliation Document (the Prisoners' Document The Prisoners' Document, officially the National Conciliation Document was written in May 2006 by Palestinian prisoners, who were being held in an Israeli jail. The five prisoners who took part in writing the Document were respectively affiliated w ...
) as well as the decisions of the Arab summit.
On 17 March 2007, Haniyeh presented the national unity government to the PLC,[''PM Hanieh Speech before the PLC March 17, 2007'']
JMCC. Archived on 4 October 2009 which was approved 83–3. At the time, 41 of the 132 members of the PLC were in Israeli detention.[ The 25 ministers were sworn in the next day by President Abbas.][''Palestinians OK Unity Govt'']
Arab News, 18 March 2007
JMCC. Archived on 4 October 2009 The program of the national unity government included ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty within the 1967 borders, with al-Quds as its capital,[ implementation of the Cairo Agreement pertaining to the PLO, and commitment to the Palestinian right of return.][ Israel rejected the new government.
Between 10 and 14 June 2007, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip after fierce battles between Fatah and Hamas.][Guardian, 15 June 2007]
''Hamas takes control of Gaza''
/ref>
On 14 June 2007, President Abbas declared a state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
by presidential decree, and dismissed the Haniyeh-led unity government.[''Presidential Decrees Issued on June - July 2007'']
JMCC, archived on 12 October 2007 He appointed an emergency government led by Salam Fayyad
Salam Fayyad ( ar, سلام فياض, ; born 1951 or 12 April 1952) is a Jordanian-Palestinian politician and former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and Finance Minister.
He was Finance Minister from June 2002 to November 2005 and ...
and controversially suspended articles of the Basic Law to dispense with the need for PLC approval of the new government. The Fayyad government was swiftly recognized by the international community. Haniyeh and Hamas have refused to accept the dismissal, and continues to claim it is the legitimate caretaker government of the Palestinian Authority on the basis that the PLC, which continues to be controlled by Hamas, has not approved the new government.
Members of the Government
March to June 2007[
]
See also
*Palestinian government
The Palestinian government is the government of the Palestinian Authority or State of Palestine. The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (EC) is the highest executive body of the Palestine Liberation Organization and acts ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palestinian National Unity Government of 2007 03
Palestinian Authority Government of 2007 03
Coalition governments
2007 establishments in the Palestinian territories
2007 disestablishments in the Palestinian territories
Cabinets established in 2007
Cabinets disestablished in 2007