The Palestinian prime minister says he will not risk a civil war by cracking down on armed groups, while the US says it will judge Ahmad Qurei by his willingness to confront them.
| Lost that one already, hasn't he? |
Qurei's comments on Monday came one day after President Yasir Arafat declared a state of emergency in Palestinian territories and approved an eight-member cabinet. "We are facing an abnormal situation. There is a state of chaos that should be confronted," he told Reuters. But he insisted he would use persuasion, not force, to stop attacks against Israel. "There won't be a civil war, (I will do it) through dialogue. There won't be martial law".
| First y'gotta get their attention, Ahmed... |
Qurei says he wants a truce with Israel but the Jewish state has ruled this out until the Palestinian Authority takes action against groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
| We saw the corpses resulting from the last "truce." |
The Palestinian premier also reiterated his criticism of resistance attacks in Israel. "This gives the Israeli side a justification to steal land under the pretext of security, kill under the pretext of security and expand settlements under the pretext of security. So there is a state of chaos that cannot be tolerated." Qurei did not give further details or say when he would hold talks with the Palestinian groups.
| We'll get around to it. Some day." |
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