Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday appointed Rami Hamdallah to serve as head of a “national consensus government” — the supposed “unity government” agreed by Fatah and Hamas.

However, an official announcement on the composition of the entire government, which had also been expected Thursday, was delayed again, and it is currently unclear when it might be finalized

According to several different Palestinian sources, the PA is planning to announce the identities of the new ministers on Monday. We shall see. There are three key ministerial positions that are causing a logjam in discussions between Hamas and Fatah.

The first of these is the foreign minister’s post. Abbas is insisting that the incumbent, Riyad al-Maliki, be reappointed, a move opposed by Hamas.

There is no agreement on an interior minister, either. Both the rival Palestinian factions thought that the new prime minister himself, Hamdallah, would agree to take on the sensitive position. (The PA Interior Ministry is responsible for all the Palestinian security forces, including — in theory — those in the Gaza Strip.) But Hamdallah, according to the same sources, rejected the appointment.

Read the article in full at Times of Israel.