Mahmoud Abbas, Rami Hamdallah

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, and Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah attend prayers last month in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (Majdi Mohammed / Associated Press / August 7, 2013)

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- After weeks of waiting and speculating, the incoming Palestinian Authority government turned out to be a carbon copy of the outgoing one.

Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and his 24 Cabinet ministers, who together had formed the previous government, were sworn in anew Thursday in front of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Hamdallah, a former university president, resigned as prime minister June 21, less than three weeks after taking office. His decision was triggered by disagreements with Abbas over the powers of his two deputy prime ministers, who were appointed by the president.

Abbas asked Hamdallah to stay on as caretaker while he sought a new prime minister. But six weeks later, the president reversed course and asked Hamdallah to form the new government.

This week Hamdallah presented a new government that had the same ministers as before -- including the two deputies that caused his earlier resignation.

Hamdallah's spokesman, Ihab Bseiso, said Abbas gave his prime minister "full powers" regarding everything that has to do with the government and ministers.

The new government, the 16th since the formation of the Palestinian Authority 20 years ago, will focus on economic development and investment, said Bseiso.

Abbas and Hamdallah will be traveling to New York on Saturday to attend sessions of the United Nations General Assembly and a meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee of donor countries that finance the Palestinian Authority and its projects.

While in New York, Abbas will also meet on Monday with President Obama to discuss Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.

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Abukhater is a special correspondent.