Could this man unite the Palestinians?

A US-educated Palestinian academic looks set to head a new national unity government in a bid by rival factions to bridge differences and ease a Western aid blockade.

Mohammed Shubair, a former president of the Islamic University of Gaza, is the frontrunner to succeed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.Palestinians hope the new administration will end the international embargo imposed after Hamas, which is committed to Israel's destruction, came to power in March in the Palestinian Authority.

Mr Haniyeh announced on Friday he would step down rather than see continued financial sanctions imposed on his Hamas-led administration.

The nomination of Dr Shubair, 60, is still to be endorsed by President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate from the previously dominant Fatah faction.

"We are facing a new era in which we will all work side by side and shoulder to shoulder in order to be able to protect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," said Ahmed Qureia, a senior Fatah official who is also a former prime minister.

"The coming days will witness the true breakthrough, and the responsibilities upon the leaders will become greater."

Hamas has also not yet endorsed Dr Shubair's nomination and spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, said last night the new government would not recognise Israel or accept a two-state solution.

The US and European Union regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation and have cut off direct aid to its administration. As a result, the Palestinian Government has largely been unable to pay its 165,000 workers since April.

It is not certain that a new "technical" government with no formal affiliation with Hamas will convince Western powers to lift restrictions.

Hamas's refusal to recognise Israel could further undercut efforts to lift the eight-month boycott.Sceptics say that because Hamas is in control of the parliament - probably ensuring most new ministers are sympathetic to its policies - the new administration could quickly become a pariah itself.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU's External Relations Commissioner, said yesterday the new administration would have to recognise Israel, renounce violence and commit to new peace talks. "We will have to study the program ... everybody will have to look at the government first," she said. But the Israeli press says Dr Shubair's name has been approved by the US. Dr Shubair has good relations with all political parties and although he is close to Hamas, he is not an active supporter.

He was born in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis and studied pharmacology at Egypt's Alexandria University. He then moved to the US, where he obtained a PhD in microbiology at West Virginia University. In 1993, he returned to Gaza to become president of the Islamic University.

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said yesterday the key to a new government was not its composition but its platform.

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