The 12th Palestinian government, an emergency one, was sworn in before President Mahmoud Abbas in West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday, replacing the two-month-old unity government led by Hamas.[Photo:Xinhua]

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has sworn in an emergency Cabinet to replace the unity government led by Hamas.

The 12th Palestinian government took their oath before President Abbas and new Prime Minister Sallam Fayyad.

Abbas has also outlawed Hamas' affiliated militant groups.

"At this opportunity we say that all the decisions have to be fulfilled. We need to fulfill all the security decisions and all the security laws that we adopted as the PLC. There is only one authority and one law and only one constitutional legal weapon in the entire nation."

Abbas issued a decree early on Sunday annulling a law requiring the new government to be approved by parliament, which is dominated by Hamas.

However, Hamas' leader Ismail Haneya has called the new emergency government illegal and insists he remains in power.

On Thursday, Abbas sacked the Palestinian government led by Hamas after he considered Hamas attacks against Palestinian Authority facilities in Gaza as a coup.

Following the swearing in ceremony, President Abbas says that the top priority of his new government is to bring about an end to the international aid embargo.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said the new Palestinian government would create a "new opportunity" for the peace process.