Palestinian PM Abbas, Cabinet Take Office-Agency.

The landmark ceremony had already been marred by a new Palestinian suicide bombing in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv early on Wednesday, in which the bomber killed three people. The attack underlined the formidable challenge Abbas faces to curb militant violence in a 31-month-old Palestinian uprising.

Abbas is the first-ever Palestinian prime minister, a post Arafat created under international pressure to cede some powers and implement democratic reforms. His cabinet includes both critics of Arafat and loyalists from within his Fatah movement.