Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia told Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Tuesday that he was determined to quit unless the Palestinian leader yielded more power to the Cabinet, leaving the government embroiled in crisis.
The confrontation between Arafat and Qureia centers on whether Arafat is willing to cede any of his absolute authority. Israel considers Arafat's stranglehold on Palestinian affairs as an obstacle to peace in the Middle East.
At the end of an emergency meeting in Arafat's ruined West Bank headquarters, the two men deadlocked over who would have ultimate control over the security services and whether Qureia would stay in his job.
"President Arafat insisted in rejecting the resignation. Abu Ala insists on his resignation. The crisis goes on," said Saeb Erekat, a senior Cabinet minister, using Qureia's common name.
Other ministers said Qureia had ended the meeting by telling Arafat, "My resignation stands. I consider my government to be a caretaker government."
Late on Tuesday, gunmen shot and wounded lawmaker Nabil Amr, a vocal critic of Arafat. The shooting took place outside Amr's Ramallah home, Palestinians said. He was not seriously hurt. Though the assailants were unknown, some Palestinians felt the shooting was a message to stop criticizing Arafat.
The crisis has been brewing since late last week, when Qureia submitted his resignation over his frustration with the breakdown of authority in Gaza and discontent over the disorder in the security services.
If he resigns and the government falls after less than a year in office, it would be a setback for Arafat, who wants to show some movement toward establishing democratic institutions in the Palestinian territories.
The first prime minister of the Palestinian government, Mohammed Abbas, resigned after just four months in office because he found himself without any effective power. Now Qureia is making similar complaints.
Israel and the US refuse to deal with Arafat, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says the lack of a Palestinian negotiating partner was one reason behind his decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Gaza Strip next year. He has not met Qureia since the latter became prime minister, though the two met before that.
Israel has confined Arafat in his Ramallah office building for more than two years. Most of the other buildings in the city block-sized compound were destroyed in various Israeli attacks and raids.
Most Palestinians consider Arafat their main symbol of struggle and independence, though many disagree with his latest moves.
Qureia "told Arafat that his government must have real authority, especially over the security branches, in order for it to be effective," said Qadoura Fares, a minister without portfolio.
Qureia left the meeting through a rear door of Arafat's headquarters to avoid reporters, leaving it unclear how long he would remain in the post or what his next move would be.
"Arafat decided to reject Abu Ala's resignation and renewed his confidence in him," Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh said, referring to Qureia.
"Accordingly, the resignation is officially rejected," he said.
Tension has been building in Gaza since December, when Sharon pledged to withdraw the army and vacate Jewish settlements without coordination with Palestinian authorities -- leaving a Palestinian power vacuum and setting competing forces against each other.
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
DITCH TACTICS: Kenyan officers were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by Haitian gang members A Kenyan policeman deployed in Haiti has gone missing after violent gangs attacked a group of officers on a rescue mission, a UN-backed multinational security mission said in a statement yesterday. The Kenyan officers on Tuesday were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch “suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs,” the statement said, adding that “specialized teams have been deployed” to search for the missing officer. Local media outlets in Haiti reported that the officer had been killed and videos of a lifeless man clothed in Kenyan uniform were shared on social media. Gang violence has left
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including