TEMPO.CO, Tokyo - Palestinian and American officials ensured that the resignation of Salam Fayyad, United States (US)-supported Palestinian Prime Minister will not hamper Washington’s plan for the West Bank.
Fayyad resigned on Saturday 13 April 2013, months after having a tense relationship with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Fayyad resigned a week after the US Secretary of State John Kerry visited the country in an effort to remove economic development barriers in the West Bank.
On Sunday, 14 April 2013, Kerry confirmed to reporters in Tokyo that Fayyad’s reisgnation will not affect US plans in the Middle East. “We will continue to cooperate and hoped that President Abbas will find the right person to work with him during the transition, and work with us to establish confidence,” he added.
Fayyad is a Palestinian figure with a Western education background. Graduated from a US university, he assumed position as the Palestinian prime minister in 2007. Fayyad has gained compliments from Western countries for his effort in establishing the Palestinian National Authority, an institution which aims to provide better Palestinian future. However, his popularity later declined due to increasing unemployment and inflation rate.
Palestinian officials explained that the Western countries trusted Fayyad to distribute aid funds because he was considered to be clean and incorruptible. However, an official said, “Everybody knows that the aid was intended for Palestinian people, not only for one individual.”
Despite Fayyad’s good reputation in the Western countries, a survey conducted by Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research shows that 78 per cent of the West Bank population sees the Palestinian National Authority as a corrupted institution.
“Alhmadulillah (thank God) he finally stepped down,” said Khaled Ashraf, a restaurant owner in Ramallah. “Of course there were growths, but they were done recently, and as usual, things does not get any better,” Khaled concluded.
REUTERS | TRIP B
