Palestinian officials are embarking on a project to transform a presidential palace into a national library near the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the culture minister said Sunday. President Mahmud Abbas and his cash-strapped administration had faced questions over the construction of the $17.5 million palace, which was initially intended as a presidential headquarters and location where foreign dignitaries could be received. Abbas has now decided to transform the 4,700-square-metre complex into a Palestinian national library, culture minister Ehab Bessaiso told AFP.

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