EFL
Yasser Arafat, meeting in the West Bank with the leadership of his Fatah party, made clear Sunday he intends to ask parliament toady speaker Ahmed Qureia to become the new Palestinian prime minister, a Palestinian political source said.
Yasserâs boy?
| He's Yasser's likely successor. Whaddya think? |
Word of the possible replacement for Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, who resigned after a debilitating power struggle with Arafat, came after Israel declared a high security alert and imposed a blanket closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It was not clear when Qureia would be formally tapped for the position, the Palestinian source said. Arafat has not yet accepted Abbasâ resignation in writing, as required by dictat law, but told Palestinian lawmakers he considered Abbasâ Cabinet a caretaker government, implying recognition of the resignation. Earlier Sunday, Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh had said the leader hoped to persuade Abbas - also known as Abu Mazen - to remain and form a new government. ``Abu Mazen remains Arafatâs first choice for scapegoat. But if he insists on maintaining his resignation, there will be a new appointment, and that will be discussed now and tomorrow,ââ Abu Rdeneh said, emerging from the closed-door Fatah meeting. ``Within 48 hours, we will reach a conclusion.ââ
Abbas insisted his decision was final on Saturday and told a confidant he felt abandoned by all sides and was deeply hurt but fortunately still alive. But a source close to Abbas said Sunday he might serve again if he reached a firm agreement with Arafat on his powers and on the composition of the government beforehand. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said this would be difficult. Abbas himself sent mixed signals when asked Sunday if he would consider forming a new government. ``Itâs something premature to talk about. My resignation is final,ââ he told reporters as he left his office.
"Please donât kill me!"
At Sundayâs meeting, many Fatah officlas said they hoped to convince Abbas to serve again, said Hussein Sheikh, a West Bank Fatah leader.
| That way he can have more of the same... |
Abbasâ resignation left Israel and the United States without a negotiating partner, at least temporarily, and dealt a severe blow to the already troubled U.S.-backed ``road mapââ peace plan. The two nations refuse to deal with Arafat, saying he is tainted by terror and an obstacle to peace.
Yasser is the obstacle in killing the roadmap. Does that make him âroadkillâ?
If the resignation becomes final, Arafat has three weeks to name a successor. Qureia is seen as a moderate and has credibility with Israel because he was an architect of the 1990s peace accords.
| He occasionally meets with Sharon for back-channel negotiations... |
In coming days, the Israeli Cabinet also will reconsider possible action against Arafat, including sending him into exile, said Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. ``As long as Arafat is in the region, he wonât let any other leader develop,ââ Shalom told Israel Army Radio. The United States has blocked Arafatâs expulsion in the past, and Sharonâs security advisers have warned that Arafat could do more harm to Israel abroad than by remaining trapped at his West Bank headquarters in the town of Ramallah.
And by keeping him in Ramallah, you get to see who comes to visit.
Israelâs airstrike against the Hamas leadership on Saturday came just hours after Abbas announced his resignation. A top Israeli security official said Abbasâ departure released Israel from the last restraints in its war on the militants. With Abbas still in office, concern about harming his standing with airstrikes had always been a consideration, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Another bright side to Abbas running away! 
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