Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a Hamas government on Wednesday. According to Reuters, the 24-member Palestinian cabinet is dominated by Hamas loyalists after other factions including Abbas' Fatah movement rejected calls to join.
Those in the West Bank city of Ramallah took part in the ceremony by video-link to Gaza, where Abbas presided over the swearing-in, because of Israeli travel restrictions on Hamas officials.
The first to be sworn in was Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who pledged to be "loyal to the homeland and its sacred places."
Meanwhile, the United States ordered its diplomats and contractors not to have any contacts with Palestinian ministries once the government was sworn in, U.S. officials said. Contacts will still be permitted with Abbas, his personal office and non-Hamas members of the Palestinian parliament.
