Ramallah, May 23 (RHC)-- The Palestinian Authority's caretaker Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has secured a consensus between two main political factions of Hamas and Fatah to lead the new Palestinian unity government.
 
On April 23rd, the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which includes the Fatah, reached a reconciliation deal to resolve their differences.
 
Under the deal, Hamas and Fatah are to form a unity government within five weeks and hold national elections six months later.  Hamdallah has been the acting Palestinian Authority prime minister since last June, when he replaced the former premier, Salam Fayyad.
 
The new Palestinian administration is expected to end a seven-year rift between Fatah and Hamas.  The two Palestinian groups have been at odds since Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006.  The dispute marginalized Hamas government to the Gaza Strip.  Fatah, however, set up headquarters in Palestinian territory of the West Bank.
 
The Israeli regime reacted to reconciliation among the Palestinians by canceling the so-called peace talks with the Palestinian Authority and threatening sanctions against it.