RAMALLAH, West Bank — His right hand resting on the Koran, a solemn Mahmoud Abbas took the oath of office Saturday as Palestinian Authority president and declared in his inaugural address that "our hand is extended toward an Israeli partner for making peace."
But the 69-year-old Abbas, elected Jan. 9 to succeed the late Yasser Arafat, enjoyed only the briefest of political honeymoons. Even before assuming office, he found himself ensnared in a thicket of internal and external problems.
On the eve of Abbas' swearing-in, Israel severed nascent ties with his government in response to an attack by Palestinian militants that killed six Israelis at a Gaza Strip border crossing, and said contacts would not be restored until Abbas cracked down on extremist elements.
And even as the new leader was being warmly applauded by assembled lawmakers and invited dignitaries at his inauguration, two senior members of the Palestinian Central Election Commission, together with dozens of staff members, resigned in protest of what they said were irregularities in last week's vote, which Abbas won handily.
Violence, too, proved to be a familiar backdrop to the day's events.
Before the ceremony was over, seven Palestinians had died in two confrontations with Israeli troops in Gaza. Several of them were believed to be gunmen, but one was a 17-year-old boy described by witnesses as an onlooker.
The low-key swearing-in, held in an assembly hall at Arafat's former headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, was a pronounced departure from the volatile public events presided over by the late leader.
Arafat rallies, a fixture of Palestinian public life for decades, were draped in giant banners and full of heroic rhetoric, featuring rhythmic chanting by feverish crowds.
In contrast, Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, delivered his inaugural address in quiet, measured tones before an attentive audience of lawmakers and dignitaries. The dais was simply decorated with a spray of flowers, accompanied by only a standard-size Palestinian flag. Abbas wore his usual sober business suit.
The new leader called his election a vote for "democratic choice
As he has in the past, Abbas urged an end to the intifada, now in its fifth year, calling for a mutual cease-fire and pledging to abide by the U.S.-backed peace plan known as the road map.
