Abbas to head new unity Palestinian government

Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas agreed at a meeting in Qatar on Monday to form a unified government for the West Bank and Gaza Strip headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, a senior Palestinian official said.

Abbas would assume the role of prime minister, replacing Western-backed Salam Fayyad, the official said. It was not immediately clear if Fayyad would be a member of the new government or when it would be formed. (AP)