PA president dismisses Prime Minister Haniyeh

     Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced Wednesday evening that he was dissolving the Palestinian unity government and that he planned to declare a state of emergency in the Gaza Strip, in light of the ongoing violence between Hamas and Fatah. Abbas had informed the representatives of the Quartet, the US and Jordan of his plans prior to making the official statement. The president intends to call for the deployment of a multinational force in Gaza, in a bid to overpower Hamas. He may also propose an independent candidate to replace the current prime minister, Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh, in his post. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said on Thursday evening that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' dismissal of the unity government has no legal standing since any transition government would be based on the current one.(21,44)