Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad replaced almost half of his West Bank-based Cabinet on Wednesday, a clear sign that efforts to end the Palestinian political split are stuck.

A unity deal reached in February was to have ended five years of separate Palestinian governments, one run by Fayyad in the West Bank and the other by the Islamic militant Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Under its terms, President Mahmoud Abbas was to head an interim unity government ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections.

However, repeated disagreements between the two factions as well as within them have held up implementation.

By rearranging the Cabinet in the West Bank, Fayyad and his boss Abbas signaled the split is likely to continue for some time. The 24-member government sworn in Wednesday had 11 new members.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Abbas told the new Cabinet that its priority should be to conduct municipal elections that have been delayed repeatedly.