The militant Palestinian Arab group Hamas and the Fatah faction have agreed on naming an American-educated professor to head the emerging Palestinian Arab government, a senior Hamas official in Syria said yesterday.

The deputy to the Damascus-based Hamas political bureau leader Khaled Mashaal, Moussa Abu Marzouk, told the Associated Press in the Syrian capital that the two major factions have agreed on the nomination of Mohammed Shabir.

Mr. Shabir, 60, headed Gaza’s Islamic University until 2005. He is considered close to Hamas but not an active supporter.

A senior official of another Palestinian Arab faction other than Hamas and Fatah who is based in Damascus also confirmed the nomination. The official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the two rival factions are now discussing the makeup of the unity government.

Abu Marzouk predicted that the new unity government will be announced before the end of the month after the Palestinian Arabs receive assurances that international economic sanctions would be lifted.

The sanctions, in place since Hamas formed the Palestinian Arab government after a sweeping victory in legislative elections earlier this year, have debilitated Prime Minister Haniyeh’s government. The Palestinian Authority’s inability to pay civil servants has heightened tensions in the territories, which have witnessed clashes between supporters of various Palestinian Arab factions in recent months.