Rami Hamdallah

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Rami Hamdallah

| native_name = {{Nobold| رامي الحمد الله}}

| native_name_lang = ar

| image = Fumio Kishida and Rami Hamdallah before the funeral of Shinzo Abe (3x4 cropped).jpg

| caption = Hamdallah in 2022

| office = Prime Minister of the State of Palestine

| president = Mahmoud Abbas

| term_start = 6 June 2013

| term_end = 14 April 2019

| predecessor = Salam Fayyad

| successor = Mohammad Shtayyeh

| office2 = Minister of Interior

| primeminister2 = Himself

| term_start2 = 2 June 2014

| term_end2 = 14 April 2019

| predecessor2 = Saeed Abu Ali

| successor2 = Mohammad Shtayyeh

| birth_name = Rami Walid Kamel Hamdallah

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|8|10|df=y}}

| birth_place = Anabta, West Bank, Jordan

| party = Fatah

| alma_mater = University of Jordan (BA)
University of Manchester (MA)
Lancaster University (PhD)

| occupation = {{hlist|Politician|academic}}

| blank1 = Religion

| data1 = Sunni Islam

| nationality = Palestinian

}}

Rami Hamdallah ({{langx|ar|رامي الحمد الله|Rāmī al-Ḥamd Allāh}}; born 10 August 1958) is a Palestinian politician and academic. He served as Prime Minister of the State of Palestine from 2013 to 2019{{Cite news|title=Hamas further sidelined by appointment of new PA premier Shtayyeh|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-further-sidelined-by-appointment-of-new-pa-premier-shtayyeh/|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=10 March 2019|date=10 March 2019|author=Joe Dyke}} and was previously the president of An-Najah National University in Nablus from 1998 to 2013.{{Cite news|title=Faculty Profile at An-Najah University|url=http://www.najah.edu/page/934|agency=An Najah University|access-date=2 June 2013}}

On 2 June 2013, the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas named him to succeed Salam Fayyad as prime minister.{{Cite news|title=Abbas to appoint Rami Hamdallah as next Palestinian PM|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4387380,00.html|work=Ynet|date=2 June 2013|access-date=2 June 2013}} His appointment was not recognized by Hamas, who were not consulted in the decision.{{cite news|title=Rami Hamdallah Appointed Prime Minister Of Palestine By President Mahmoud Abbas|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/02/rami-hamdallah-palestine-prime-minister_n_3375537.html|work=Huffington Post|date=2 June 2013}} He is a member of Fatah;{{Cite news|title=Abbas names new Palestinian prime minister|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/201362173852720278.html|work=Al Jazeera English|date=2 June 2013|access-date=2 June 2013}} however, the BBC states that he is a political independent.{{Cite news|title=Mahmoud Abbas appoints new Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22751932|work=BBC|date=3 June 2013|access-date=6 June 2013}} On 20 June 2013, Hamdallah tendered his resignation, which Abbas accepted on 23 June.{{cite news|title=Abbas accepts resignation of Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23019530|publisher=BBC|access-date=23 June 2013|date=23 June 2013}} Six weeks after that, Abbas asked Hamdallah to form a new government, which he did on 19 September 2013.{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-palestinian-authority-cabinet-20130919,0,1784454.story |title=New Palestinian Authority government carbon copy of old |work=Los Angeles Times |date=19 September 2013 |access-date=19 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130924041812/http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-palestinian-authority-cabinet-20130919%2C0%2C1784454.story |archive-date=24 September 2013 }} He was appointed the head of the unity government on 2 June 2014,{{cite web|title=Palestinian unity government sworn in by Mahmoud Abbas|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27660218|publisher=BBC|date=2 June 2014|access-date=5 June 2014}} a position from which he resigned on 29 January 2019.{{cite web|title=Palestinian President Abbas accepts PM Hamdallah's resignation|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2019/01/palestinian-president-abbas-accepts-pm-hamdallah-resignation-190129193837788.html|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=29 January 2019|access-date=1 February 2019}}

Early life and education

Rami Hamdallah was born in Anabta in the northern Palestine on 10 August 1958.[http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/personalities/alpha_h.htm H - Personalities]. Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729211901/http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/personalities/alpha_h.htm |date=29 July 2012 }} He graduated from the University of Jordan in 1980 and received his MA from the University of Manchester in 1982. Hamdallah completed a PhD in English linguistics at Lancaster University in 1988.{{Cite web|title=New Palestinian Prime Minister studied at Lancaster|url=http://news.lancs.ac.uk/New-Palestinian-Prime-Minister-is-former-Lancaster-student.php|website=news.lancs.ac.uk|access-date=2020-05-22}}

Career

Hamdallah, widely known as Abū Wālid ('Father of Walid', after one of his deceased children) is a professor at An-Najah National University. He was hired in 1982 as English instructor, and at the university he got to know his future wife.{{Cite news|last=Rudoren|first=Jodi|date=2013-06-03|title=Palestinian Authority's New Premier Admired as 'Conscience'|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/04/world/middleeast/hamdallah-palestinian-authoritys-premier-is-admired.html|access-date=2020-05-22|issn=0362-4331}} He was appointed president of the university in 1998.{{Cite web|title=Rami Hamdallah {{!}} Biography & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rami-Hamdallah|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}} During his 15 years' term, he tripled the student enrollment, which now numbers 20,000 students on 4 campuses. He also opened a 400-bed teaching hospital. He served as the secretary general of Palestinian Central Elections Commission from 2002 to 2013.{{cite news|last=Bobb|first=Scott|title=Palestinians Give Mixed Reaction to New Prime Minister|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/abbas-names-new-palestinian-prime-minister/1673841.html|access-date=21 June 2013|work=Voice of America|date=3 June 2013|location=Jerusalem}} He was the commission's deputy chairman in 2011.{{cite news|title=Palestinian Authority picks Rami Hamdallah as prime minister|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-palestinian-premier-20130603,0,549411.story|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first1=Maher|last1=Abukhater|first2=Edmund|last2=Sanders|date=2 June 2013}} He was sworn in as prime minister on 6 June 2013{{cite news|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|title=New Palestinian prime minister submits resignation after two weeks|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2013/06/20/new-palestinian-prime-minister-submits-resignation-after-two-weeks/ZMuEdsUbkywlXjZTI9ymtJ/story.html|access-date=21 June 2013|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=20 June 2013|location=Jerusalem}} and replaced Salam Fayyad in the post.{{cite news|last=Browning|first=Noah|title=New Palestinian prime minister offers resignation|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-resignation-idUSBRE95J0MI20130620|access-date=21 June 2013|work=Reuters|date=20 June 2013|location=Ramallah}} Only two weeks into the job, however, Hamdallah tendered his resignation, reportedly as result of interference with Hamdallah's authority by Abbas' aides.{{cite news|last=Khoury|first=Jack|title=Abbas accepts resignation of newly appointed Palestinian PM Hamdallah|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/abbas-accepts-resignation-of-newly-appointed-palestinian-pm-hamdallah-1.531450/|access-date=25 June 2013|newspaper=Haaretz|date=23 June 2013}} On 23 June 2013, Abbas accepted Hamdallah's resignation, but appointed him as the head of the interim government.{{cite news|last=Basil|first=Yousuf|title=Abbas accepts resignation of Palestinian prime minister|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/23/world/meast/mideast-palestinian-pm|access-date=3 July 2013|work=CNN|date=24 June 2013}} Hamdallah's resignation was praised by Mohammed Dajani, the founder of the Wastia Movement of Moderate Islam in the West Bank, who stated that "I respect him for taking this decision. They thought he would be window dressing and he would not accept that."{{cite news|title=Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah tenders resignation|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/10132634/Palestinian-PM-Rami-Hamdallah-tenders-resignation.html|publisher=The Telegraph|access-date=25 June 2013|location=London|first=Phoebe|last=Greenwood|date=20 June 2013}}

Six weeks after Hamdallah's resignation, Abbas asked him to form a new government, which he did on September 19, 2013.

On 13 March 2018, Hamdallah survived an assassination attempt during his visit to the Gaza Strip.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-43391901/palestinian-pm-hamdallah-survives-gaza-explosion|title=Palestinian PM Hamdallah survives Gaza explosion|last=BBC|first=BBC|date=13 March 2018|website=BBC|access-date=13 March 2018}} Hamdallah was travelling at the time with {{illm|Majid Faraj|ar|ماجد فرج|he|מאג'ד פרג'}}, the Palestinian security chief, and neither man was injured. Hamdallah's spokesperson blamed Hamas for the attempted assassination, saying that Hamas bore "full criminal responsibility." Hamas claimed that it had shot and killed the suspect and an accomplice to the attempted assassination on March 22 in a shootout in which two of its own members also died. However, Hamdallah's spokesperson continued to put the blame on Hamas for the attempted assassination.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-arrests/suspect-in-palestinian-assassination-attempt-among-four-dead-in-gaza-shootout-hamas-idUSKBN1GY14K/|title=Suspect in Palestinian assassination attempt among 4 dead in Gaza shootout: Hamas|publisher=Reuters|date=March 22, 2018|first=Nidal|last=Al-Mughrabi}}

On 29 January 2019 Hamdallah and his government handed their resignation to President Abbas, who accepted the request on the following day.{{cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/1/29/palestinian-president-abbas-accepts-pm-rami-hamdallahs-resignation|title=Palestinian president Abbas accepts prime minister Hamdallahs resignation|last=The New Arab|first=El Arabi Jdid|date=30 January 2019|website=The New Arab|access-date=31 January 2019}} He was replaced by Mohammad Shtayyeh in April 2019.{{Cite web|title=Abbas swears in new PA government led by his Fatah ally, Mohammad Shtayyeh|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-swears-in-new-pa-government-led-by-his-fatah-ally-mohammad-shtayyeh/|last1=staff|first1=T. O. I.|last2=Agencies|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-22}}

Personal life

Three of his children, 11-year-old twins and a 9-year-old boy, were killed in a car accident in 2000. He and his wife had another daughter afterwards.