Profile: Salam Fayyad

He is considered a liberal and widely respected among the international organisations and donors.

Mr Fayyad worked at the World Bank in Washington from 1987-1995. He then served as the International Monetary Fund's representative to Palestine based in Jerusalem until 2001.

He served as the finance minister under the Fatah-controlled administration from 2002-2005 and won praise from the international community for introducing economic reform.

SALAM FAYYAD FACTS

• Born in 1952 near West Bank city of Tulkarm
• PhD in economics from the University of Texas
• Worked at the World Bank in Washington from 1987-1995
• IMF representative to Palestine until 2001
• Finance minister for the Fatah-controlled administration 2002-2005

He is also credited with cracking down on official corruption.

He resigned from the cabinet in late 2005 to found and run the Third Way Bloc, an independent party. The party won two seats in the parliamentary election in January 2006.

After the formation of the Palestinian unity government in February 2007, it was Mr Fayyad who met US diplomats and then lobbied the European Union for a resumption of aid to the Palestinian Authority.

In April, he met US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice informally - the highest-level contact between a US official and a minister in the Palestinian unity government.

Born in 1952 near the West Bank city of Tulkarm, he holds a PhD in economics from the University of Texas.

He began his career teaching economics at Yarmuk University in Jordan.

Mr Fayyad is married with three children.