Palestinian president accepts resignation of consensus govt

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Tuesday, a move that will further isolate the Hamas movement, according to experts.

Abbas on Tuesday accepted the resignation and asked him to serve as caretaker until a new government is formed, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

The president has started the consultations on the formation of a new government whose mission is to prepare for holding parliamentary elections, according to Al-Ayyam, a Palestinian newspaper based in Ramallah.