By Xinhua
Ramallah : Ministers of an emergency government Sunday took oath in West Bank before President Mahmoud Abbas, replacing the two-month-old unity government led by Hamas.
According to the footage of the official Palestinian television, 11 ministers, including two females, were sworn in before the president and new Prime Minister Sallam Fayyad one by one with their hand on the holy book of Quran.
After the inauguration ceremony, Fayyad delivered a short speech, in which he pledged economic and political improvement in the Palestinian territories.
He also referred the Palestinians in Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, saying "I tell our people in Gaza you are in our hearts and we will never let you alone."
"I promise them (Gazans) that we will do all our best to ensure their basic needs," he added.
Fayyad will also hold the portfolios of foreign and finance while most of the other ministers will also assume more than one portfolio.
Among the ministers, a number of them are the former government non-Hamas members.
On Thursday, Abbas sacked the Palestinian government led by Hamas after he considered Hamas attacks against Palestinian authority facilities in Gaza as a coup.
Fayyad was then asked to set up the emergency government a day after Abbas decided to dismantle the unity government that had assumed office March 17.
However, Hamas rejected Abbas' decision to sack the unity government and considered the emergency government as "illegitimate."