Palestinian government ministers sworn in again after oath foul-up

Palestinian government ministers sworn in again after oath foul-up
Palestinian government ministers sworn in again after oath foul-up

Palestinian government ministers were sworn in for a second time onSunday after a lawyer noticed that the oath they took the day before had beenmissing a phrase.

Lawyer Nael Al-Hawah spotted the omission after Palestinian primeminister Mohammad Shtayyeh's new government was sworn in before presidentMahmud Abbas on Saturday.

The oath had dropped a clause where ministers swear to be loyal "tothe people and its national heritage", he said.

"I noticed the error and I posted a status update onFacebook," he told AFP.

Shtayyeh called Al-Hawah to acknowledge the error and inform him thatthe oath would be repeated in its entirety on Sunday, he said.

Official Palestinian news agency WAFA said the oath was indeed repeated,adding that the mistake had been caused by a "typing error."

Al-Hawah said he was familiar with the vow having closely followedPalestinian governments and because it was part of his teaching for lawtrainees.

He said the error could have placed the government's legality in doubt.

According to WAFA, the full oath reads: "I swear by Almighty God tobe loyal to the homeland and its sanctities, to the people and its nationalheritage, to respect the constitutional order and the law, and to take fullcare of the interests of the Palestinian people."

The new ministers took office following a change of government thatseveral analysts said was made to further isolate Hamas, at odds with the Fatahparty of Abbas for more than a decade.

Abbas, 84, is seen as retaining the real decision-making authority.

While his term was meant to expire in 2009, Abbas has remained in officein the absence of elections since the Fatah-Hamas split.The Palestinian Authority government is based inthe occupied West Bank, while Hamas rules the Gaza Strip

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