The Palestinian Authority Government of February 2005 was a government of the Palestinian National Authority (PA) which existed from 24 February 2005 to 29 March 2006. It was headed by Ahmed Qurei and composed of 24 ministers. The cabinet was dominated by technocrat professional appointees, nearly half of them with doctoral degrees. A large part of the Government was Fatah affiliated. The Government was approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council by a 54-12 vote, with four abstentions. It was succeeded by the Hamas-led Government of March 2006.

Background Pursuant to the Oslo Accords, the authority of the PA Government is limited to some civil rights of the Palestinians in the West Bank Areas A and B and in the Gaza Strip, and to internal security in Area A and in Gaza.

In January 2005, Mahmoud Abbas was elected the new President, following the death of Yasser Arafat. Abbas asked the incumbent Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei to continue in his post and form a new cabinet.

In March 2005, twelve Palestinian factions agreed on the Palestinian Cairo Declaration, which besides other things proposed that Hamas and Islamic Jihad join the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

Formation In February 2005, News Agency WAFA published a list of members of the new government to be presented in the Palestinian Legislative Council for a vote of confidence. Fatah legislators had agreed to vote in favor of the government on 21 February.The proposed list: Qurei: `“Security, reforms and elections are priorities" . IMEMC, 21 February 2005 Due to repeated demands by Fatah officials and PLC members to make the new cabinet more reform-minded, however, the vote of confidence was repeatedly delayed.Palestinians to hold thrice-delayed vote on cabinet. Agencies/China Daily, 24 February 2005 It was finally passed on 24 February, after Qurei had revised the list of ministers to accommodate these demands.

The Government was approved in Parliament by a 54-12 vote, with four abstentions (at the time, the PLC had 88 seats).New Palestinian Cabinet Sworn In. CBS/AP, 24 February 2005 It was headed again by Ahmed Qurei, and composed of 24 ministers. It was a technocrats cabinet dominated by professional appointees, nearly half of them with doctoral degrees. A large part of the Government was Fatah affiliated.Current Palestinian Government Structure (Factsheet). MIFTAH, 3 December 2005

Timeline On 15 December 2005, Qurei briefly resigned his Prime Minister post to run for a seat in the Palestinian Parliament in the January 2006 elections, but returned to office nine days later after deciding not to run.

On 26 January 2006, Qurei announced his intention to resign following the Fatah party's defeat by Hamas in the parliamentary elections.Palestinian PM to quit after poll. BBC, 26 January 2006 At the request of PNA President, Mahmoud Abbas, Qurei remained in office in a caretaker capacity until a successor was named.

Members of the Government

February 2005 to March 2006

MinisterOfficeParty 1 Ahmed Qurei Prime Minister Fatah 2 Nabil Shaath Deputy Prime Minister, Information Fatah 3 Salam Fayyad Finance * Independent 4 Nasser Yousef Interior and National Security Friedrich et al., p.53 (2007) ** Fatah 5 Nasser al-Kidwa Foreign Affairs Fatah 6 Mohammed Dahlan Civil Affairs Fatah 7 Mazan Sunnoqrot Economy Independent 8 Walid Abed Rabbu Agriculture Independent 9 Naim Abu Hummous Education and Higher Education Fatah 10 Thihni al-Waheidi Health Independent 11 Mohammed Ishtayeh Housing and Public Works Fatah 12 Farid Jalad Justice Independent 13 Hassan abu Libdeh Labour, Social Affairs Fatah 14 Ghassan al-Khatib Planning PPP 15 Ziad Bandak Tourism Independent 16 Sayed al-Din Khurma Transport Independent 17 Khalid al- Qawasimi Local Government 18 Sufian Abu Zaida Prisoner Affairs Fatah 19 Yusuf Jum'ah Salamah Religious Affairs Independent 20 Sabri Saydam Telecommunications, Technology Independent 21 Zahira Kamal Women’s Affairs FIDA 22 Hind Khoury Minister without Portfolio 23 Ahmed Majdalani Minister without Portfolio PPSF* Until November 2005, when Salam Fayyad resigned from the cabinet to run as leader of his new political party the Third WayProfile: Salam Fayyad. BBC, 17 June 2007 ** In April 2005, the responsibilities of Interior Minister were expanded with National Security forces and General Intelligence Abbas orders consolidation of competing security forces . AP, 15 April 2005

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