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The new Palestinian Prime Minister Sallam Fayyad (C) attends the swearing in ceremony of the emergency government in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 17, 2007.(Xinhua Photo/Guo Lei)
The 12th Palestinian government, an emergency one, was sworn in before President Mahmoud Abbas in West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday, replacing the two-month-old unity government led by Hamas.
According to the footage of the official Palestinian Television, 11 ministers of the new government, including two female ministers, took their oath before President Abbas and new Prime Minister Sallam Fayyad one by one with their hand on the Holy Book of Quran.
After the inauguration ceremony, Fayyad delivered a short speech, in which he pledged economic and political improvement in the Palestinian territories.
He also referred the Palestinians in Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, saying "I tell our people in Gaza you are in our hearts and we will never let you alone."
"I promise them (Gazans) that we will do all our best to ensure their basic needs," he added.
New Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will also hold the portfolios of foreign and finance while most of the other ministers will also assume more than one portfolio.
Among the ministers, a number of them are the former government members who were non-Hamas.
Only two ministers were from Gaza Strip, which has been controlled by Hamas after days of bloody fighting.
On Thursday, Abbas sacked the Palestinian government led by Hamas after he considered Hamas attacks against Palestinian Authority facilities in Gaza as a coup.
Fayyad was then asked to set up the emergency government one day after Abbas' decision to dismantle the unity government, which took office on March 17.
Abbas decision has ended Hamas-Fatah partnership demonstrated in the former unity government, which was formed for the first time according to a Saudi-sponsored deal reached on Feb. 8.
However, Hamas rejected Abbas' decision to sack the unity government and considered the emergency government as "illegitimate."
Editor: Yan
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