 The 25 ministers were sworn in by President Mahmoud Abbas at the ceremony, which was held simultaneously in Gaza and Ramallah.The program of the national unity government included ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty within the 1967 borders, with al-Quds as its capital, implementation of the Cairo Agreement pertaining to the PLO, and commitment to the Palestinian right of return.Israel rejected the new government, while Norway recognized it and other countries reacted with reserve.