The Palestinian leadership was still trying on Thursday to understand the events that led the parliament to force the resignation of Yasser Arafat's Cabinet, widely considered corrupt and inefficient, AP reported.
As part of his wrangling with legislators Wednesday, Arafat set Jan. 20 as the day for presidential and parliamentary elections. However, there were uncertainties Thursday about whether the vote would take place.
Palestinian officials have said they could not conduct elections under Israeli occupation. Tayeb Abdel Rahim, an Arafat adviser, reiterated Thursday that ahead of the vote, Israeli troops have to withdraw to positions they held before the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in Sept. 2000.
The international community "should act immediately to guarantee an Israeli withdrawal," Abdel Rahim stated.
A member of Arafat's inner circle, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was upset over parliament's defiance.
Jibril Rajoub, recently sacked by Arafat from his position as West Bank security head, said he hoped "President Arafat ... will wake up and start to understand that the people around him are not satisfying the Palestinians' needs."
Arafat has two weeks to form a new Cabinet and present it to parliament for approval. The old Cabinet will continue working until then "because there's no government to be found in five minutes," said Arafat adviser Nabil Abu Rdeineh.
Work on forming the new Cabinet would begin in the coming days, the aide said, adding that Arafat "is still studying what happened yesterday."
Israeli officials were pleased with the apparent weakening of Arafat's position. Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Israel that "it could be that we're at the beginning of some kind of change."
On his part, the chief of Israeli military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, said the events of Wednesday were "an earthquake in the Palestinian Authority" that would eventually lead to replacement of Arafat.
Ze'evi addded that there was a "very clear" indication of the drop in Arafat's status.
Speaking at a lecture in Tel Aviv, Ze'evi said that the Palestinian legislators had sent the message , "We want real reforms. Enough with the cosmetics, with the old generation."
Ze'evi refused, however, to predict when Arafat would be replaced. "This is a slow, deep, process," he said, reminding the audience that Arafat had in the past shown a remarkable ability for political survival. Zee'vi added that since last April's Operation Defensive Shield, the Palestinian public has been "in a deep process of internalizing the failure."
According to Haaretz, he also claimed that "terrorist" groups were having trouble in finding volunteers for suicide attacks against Israel.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat rejected Thursday Israeli claims that Wednesday's mass resignation was a rebellion against Arafat.
Speaking on Israel's Army Radio, Erekat said that the move was a "landmark for the Palestinian people, a victory for the Palestinian people, who are struggling to proceed along the path of democracy, accountability and transparency."
Erekat said that the resignations demonstrated the Palestinians' determination to establish democratic institutions, "and to move toward a full democratic state."
Erekat also called on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to withdraw Israeli troops from Palestinian Authority areas, to facilitate the holding of free and fair elections on January 2003.
"The Palestinian people will determine who their leaders will be - it could be anybody. Anybody who is 35 years or older can run for the presidency."
Erekat stressed however that, "Israel must help us. Sharon must move his tanks away from our towns, villages and refugee camps. The closure and siege must be lifted, and the natural growth of Palestinian democracy and Palestinian society must be given a chance." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
