Abbas' Palestinian cabinet to resign amid Arab revolutions, sources say

RAMALLAH, West Bank – The Palestinian cabinet will tender resignations Monday after which Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will select new ministers at the request of President Mahmoud Abbas, political sources said.

The shake-up, disclosed to Reuters Sunday, was long demanded by Fayyad and some in Abbas's Fatah faction. It follows the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to a popular revolt that has set off reform calls throughout the Arab world.

"There will be massive change in the composition of the government," one political source said of the planned mass-resignations in Abbas's Palestinian Authority, which was formed under 1993 interim peace deals with Israel.

Another source said: "Dr. Fayyad will immediately start his discussion with the factions to form the cabinet. Some ministers will keep their portfolios."

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