Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Thu 05/29/2025 View Wed 05/28/2025 View Tue 05/27/2025 View Mon 05/26/2025 View Sun 05/25/2025 View Sat 05/24/2025 View Fri 05/23/2025
2003-09-06 Middle East
Abbas resigns
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has submitted his resignation to President Yasser Arafat, Palestinian officials told CNN. Abbas has been locked in a power struggle with Arafat since taking office four months ago. Arafat is still considering the resignation, said Jibril Rajoub, Arafat’s National Security Adviser. Earlier a Palestinian official told CNN Arafat had accepted the resignation.
Bet his jaw started flapping.
Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, will play a caretaker role of the position until a new prime minister is sworn in, Palestinian Legislative Council member Saeb Erakat told CNN Radio. "I think this is a moment for us as Palestinians, I think now we have to look at the options available," Erakat said. "How Arafat will deal with the resignation — will he accept it, reject it, will he ask Abu Mazen to form a new cabinet? These are the questions we need to be concentrating on now."
Will he go to Disney World? No he won’t.
CNN’s Matthew Chance said that Abbas was giving the reasons for his decision to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in a closed door session which began at noon Saturday. Arafat is expected to address the council in a separate session around 6 p.m. Erakat said. Earlier, Erakat said Abbas’ resignation "is not an option," but acknowledged it was up to the prime minister to make that decision. The announcement of Abbas’s plans to quit came after 18 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council initiated a no-confidence motion for Abbas’ government to take place within the next two weeks, Erakat said. Abbas wanted control over security forces to help rein in militant groups that carry out terrorist attacks against Israelis. He has said he would not lift arms against the groups, but instead would seek to end their attacks through discussions.
Yeah. That worked.
Arafat has not been willing to cede power over the security forces.
Huh? I don’t really understand that sentence, except that Arafat hasn’t been willing to cede anything to anybody, unfortunately.

This is Yasser's final kick at the corpse of the road map. In a rational world, his acceptance of Abbas' forced resignation should be his ticket to St Helena. In the actual world, he's banking on the idea that he can get enough Eurodips to buy the "elected president of the Paleostinian pee-pul" line to let him get away with putting a real puppet in the PM slot and retaining all the actual power himself. My guess is that he's got a better than 50-50 chance of pulling it off — and life in Intifadaland will return to Paleonormal.


Followup, from Associated Press:
In Ramallah, there was confusion throughout the day about whether Arafat had accepted Abbas' resignation - and if he had, whether his decision was final. The veteran Palestinian leader had told a large gathering of legislators and Cabinet ministers that Abbas was now heading a caretaker government, implying Arafat agreed with his prime minister's decision. But he stopped short of confirming this in writing, as required by law.
"Put my name on paper? We-e-e-ellll, I dunno..."
An Abbas confidante, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the prime minister told him he felt abandoned by all sides and was deeply hurt by the events of the recent days. Abbas told a closed-door session of parliament that he would not change his mind. Reading from a prepared statement, he explained why he quit. Israel, he said, had not carried out its obligations under the road map, the United States had not enforced Israeli compliance and his detractors at home had constantly undermined him with "harsh and dangerous" incitement.
Yasser had his chance, and he blew it. As usual.
Posted by Rafael 2003-09-06 7:27:08 AM|| || Front Page|| [11135 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 Since Israel's made it loudly clear they will not deal with Arafat I'd put the odds at 75% Yasshole's gone to Soddy or whatever country will hold his grimy hand. The Paleos never miss an opportunity...

Crush.Them.Now
Posted by Frank G  2003-9-6 9:11:51 AM||   2003-9-6 9:11:51 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Hmmmm? Israel responds - Fox breaking news Yassin injured - 2 explosions from F16s in Gaza City. Developing, as they say
Posted by Frank G  2003-9-6 9:22:11 AM||   2003-9-6 9:22:11 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Jpost:
Two loud explosions have been heard in Gaza City Saturday afternoon. Initial reports indicate that IAF attack helicopters were spotted in the area at the time. Israel Radio reported that IAF helicopters attacked a building in Gaza City housing a Hamas leader, possibly the movement's spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, according to the radio. Witnesses told Israel Radio that Yassin was seen leaving the building shortly before the explosions were heard.

damn...I hope not. regardless, he knows he's not off limits....now Yasser, and as a personal favor? Saeb Erekat...I just can't stand the lying asshole
Posted by Frank G  2003-9-6 9:25:47 AM||   2003-9-6 9:25:47 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Winds of Change posted this article by Tarek Heggy that explains that Arabs are unable to compromise because there is no word for compromise in Arabic. The closest approximation is the Arabic word for capitulate. In game theory that makes Arabs sucectable to "zero sum" thinking. One of my best friends and coworkers at another place I worked was Jordanian. I watched him negotiate concessions from vendors that really hurt them. Unsucessfully tried to convince him that screwing vendors was a bad long-term strategy. Maybe language was the reason.
Posted by Super Hose  2003-9-6 12:45:31 PM||   2003-9-6 12:45:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 When Yassholes dead there might, might, be a chance at peace. Until then, forget the roadmap or anything else you want to call it.
Posted by tu3031 2003-9-6 1:16:13 PM||   2003-9-6 1:16:13 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Please. This wasn't a "power struggle". A real one would have factions fighting it out, and there have been no such incidents because Mazen wasn't willing to do his thing without the old terrorist-in-charge's blessing.
Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2003-9-6 4:42:19 PM||   2003-9-6 4:42:19 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Give it a week. Abbas will be back, along with 'incentive-concessions' from Washington
Posted by Pappy 2003-9-6 7:44:14 PM||   2003-9-6 7:44:14 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 There might be quite a few dead Hamas leaders by the end of the week. It might be easier for Abbas to crackdown on a bunch of corpses. Maybe only the Hamas bowling team will be left.
Posted by Super Hose  2003-9-6 8:22:53 PM||   2003-9-6 8:22:53 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 Somebody remind IDF to put nitrogliceron in the bowling balls.
Posted by Charles 2003-9-6 9:06:47 PM||   2003-9-6 9:06:47 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Why spare the bowling team?
Posted by Rafael 2003-9-6 9:12:27 PM||   2003-9-6 9:12:27 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Thank you, Rafael

Unbelievable. I try to come up with as bizarre a scenario as possible, but Hamas is stranger than even I can conceive. If the football team is a bunch of assassins, exactly what element of Hamas were the French saying, wasn't terrorist?
Posted by Super Hose  2003-9-6 10:46:58 PM||   2003-9-6 10:46:58 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 The ones that give them bribes.
Posted by Charles 2003-9-6 11:21:35 PM||   2003-9-6 11:21:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Abbas told a closed-door session of parliament that he would not change his mind. Reading from a prepared statement, he explained why he quit. Israel, he said, had not carried out its obligations under the road map, the United States had not enforced Israeli compliance and his detractors at home had constantly undermined him with "harsh and dangerous" incitement.

Uh huh. No mention of Mazen's unwillingness (or failure, if you will) to live up to HIS end of the deal, which was to dismantle Hamas and all the other sundry terrorist organizations within his borders. Israel is expected to live up to its part of the agreements, and the U.S. is expected to force Israel to live up to its part of the agreements, but Mazen won't live up to his obligations and that just isn't the problem. EVERYBODY ELSE is at fault but him.
Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2003-9-7 4:00:26 AM||   2003-9-7 4:00:26 AM|| Front Page Top

17:40 swksvolFF
17:34 Ebbuger Whuque4103
17:30 Ebbuger Whuque4103
17:02 Melancholic
16:27 Gravilet Snanter4154
16:20 Chaise Speaking for Boskone7897
16:02 Skidmark
16:01 Skidmark
15:46 Skidmark
15:41 Skidmark
15:37 swksvolFF
15:36 Skidmark
15:34 Skidmark
15:27 Skidmark
14:48 NoMoreBS
14:31 NoMoreBS
14:16 NoMoreBS
14:15 NoMoreBS
14:04 swksvolFF
13:47 Regular joe
13:43 swksvolFF
13:38 swksvolFF
13:34 swksvolFF
13:31 Abu Uluque









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com