Salam Fayyad

Salam Fayyad (Arabic: سلام فياض, romanized: Salām Fayāḍ; born 12 April 1952) is a Palestinian politician and economist who served as the first prime minister of Palestine from January 2013 until his resignation in June of that same year. He was previously the fourth prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority from 2007 until the post was replaced in 2013. He was minister of finance from June to November 2005 and from March 2007 to May 2012.

Fayyad resigned from the cabinet in November 2005 to run as founder and leader of the new Third Way party for the legislative elections of 2006. The party was not successful, and Fayyad returned as Finance Minister in the March 2007 Unity Government. Fayyad's first appointment as Prime Minister on 15 June 2007, which was justified by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on the basis of "national emergency", was not confirmed by the Palestinian Legislative Council. His successor, Rami Hamdallah, was named on 2 June 2013.