By Xinhua
Ramallah : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed a decree early Sunday to install a new emergency cabinet, confirming Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip.
    The mini cabinet, which is headed by U.S.-educated economist Salam Fayyad and only consists of 10 ministers, is to take office at 1 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Sunday, Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaina told Xinhua.
    All cabinet ministers are independent scholars, including six from the West Bank and four from the Gaza Strip, which is now dominated by Hamas.
    The cabinet's goal, an assistant of Abbas said earlier, is to safeguard the stability of the non-Hamas-involved area, to seek the lifting of the economic blockade and to ensure people's life necessities.
    The decree was widely regarded as the latest step by Abbas to consolidate power in the West Bank following Hamas' takeover of Gaza.
    Abbas last week dissolved the unity government between his Fatah movement and Hamas, and named Finance Minister Salam Fayyad as his new prime minister.
    The defiant Hamas, who has repeatedly vowed to destroy Israel, denied the legitimacy of any new government without the approval of the parliament. Hamas took control of the parliament last year when it overwhelmingly won parliamentary elections.
    Shortly after the issue of the decree, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert voiced support for the Palestinian government without Hamas, calling it "partner for peace."
    "We have a new opportunity in the last few days that we haven't had in a long time," Olmert said as he was leaving for the United States.
    Israel also promised to let the Karni crossing in northern Gaza open to allow life necessities into the Strip, fearing a looming humanitarian disaster.
    The United States also made positive gestures following the decree, with its consul in Jerusalem saying the United States is expected to lift an embargo on direct assistance on the Palestinians.
    Once the new Palestinian government is sworn in, the United States is expected to reengage with the new government, Jacob Walles said. He also held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Saturday.
    He predicted "some announcements" in Washington about lifting the economic sanctions, which persisted even after Fatah joined Hamas-led unity government in March.
    On Saturday, the quartet of Middle East peace mediators –the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States — voiced strong support for Abbas, saying it understands the necessity and legitimacy of the decisions taken by Abbas.
    "The Quartet recognized the necessity and legitimacy of these decisions, taken under Palestinian law, and welcomed President Abbas' stated intention to consult the Palestinian people at the appropriate time," it said in a statement.
    The stage for the struggle between Fatah and Hamas was set last year, when Hamas won parliamentary elections. Hamas reluctantly brought Fatah into a coalition government in March to quell an earlier round of violence, but the uneasy partnership began crumbling last month over control of security forces.
    The fighting between Hamas and Fatah in the Gaza Strip ended late Thursday after Hamas completed its takeover of all Fatah institutions there, including Abbas' local headquarters and the offices of all the Palestinian National Authority security forces.
    Scores of Fatah security commanders and political leaders fled to the West Bank and Egypt.
    Abbas' decree order for a new government, analysts said, will not reverse the Hamas takeover of Gaza, but might let Fatah consolidate its control over the West Bank and pave the way for two separate Palestinian administrations.