Birzeit, West Bank, Sha'ban 10, 1437, May 17, 2016, SPA -- The Palestinians are set to open on Wednesday their first national museum after almost 20 years of preparation, according to dap. After many years of effort and discussion and three years since the groundbreaking ceremony, the first phase of what has been called the Palestinian Museum is set to be launched, officials told reporters Tuesday. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to attend an official opening ceremony for the 28-million-dollar project on Wednesday. But the W-shaped building made of stone and glass still doesn't have any exhibitions. The inaugural exhibit displaying artifacts of Palestinian refugees has been called off due to a disagreement between the museum's board and its former director, who was sacked. A new director, Mahmoud Hawari, who says he served as lead curator at the British Museum, has recently replaced Jack Persekian, who had served since the groundbreaking ceremony. Persekian had worked on the inaugural exhibit for years. -- SPA 22:08 LOCAL TIME 19:08 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w