Arafat and Fatah leaders to choose ministers in Palestinian government
In the Gaza Strip, Israel staged its first major incursion in several months, killing Jihad Abu Shwairah, a leader of the Hamas military wing, in a shoot-out in the Nusseirat refugee camp. Hundreds of soldiers were involved, an apparent signal to Hamas that Israel would not limit itself to airstrikes in Gaza.
Israel was trying to arrest the 34-year-old Hamas militant, said an army commander, identified only as Lieut Col Ofer. When soldiers surrounded the house, Mr Shwairah let off eight bursts of gunfire, seriously wounding one of the soldiers. Two other soldiers were moderately wounded in the operation, the army said.
Israel has rebuffed Mr Arafat’s recent ceasefire offers, saying it will press ahead with its campaign against terror suspects until Palestinian forces begin dismantling the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.
In the West Bank town of Ramallah, the Fatah Central Committee met to begin choosing candidates for 15 of 23 seats in the new Cabinet. The procedure gives Mr Arafat virtual control over the government of Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qureia. The remaining eight ministers would represent other Palestinian groups or independents.
The committee agreed on the new government’s platform, participants said, but decided to hold more meetings and in coming days to decide on the final choice of Cabinet candidates. Participants would not discuss the platform.
Fatah is also trying to persuade Hamas to join the government, so far without success, said Abbas Zaki, a Fatah legislator.
Moussa Zabout, a Gaza physician with ties to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, said he has accepted an offer by Mr Qureia to join the Cabinet, and that Hamas officials did not object to him taking the job. The appointment of Mr Zabout could signal a slight softening of Hamas’ refusal to be part of the Palestinian Authority, a product of interim peace accords with Israel rejected by Hamas.
Nabil Abu Rdeneh, Mr Arafat’s adviser, said Mr Qureia would likely announce his Cabinet by Monday or Tuesday.
Mr Qureia originally wanted to form an emergency Cabinet with about eight ministers, but Fatah and Mr Arafat vetoed that. Mr Arafat’s first prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, resigned on September 6 after power struggles with the Palestinian leader, a deadlock with Israel on a US-backed peace plan, and the collapse of a unilateral truce called by militant groups in June.
Mr Arafat had appointed Mr Abbas reluctantly, caving under international pressure to share power. Mr Qureia, who served as speaker of the Palestinian parliament, has a wider political base than Mr Abbas and has said he does not intend to undercut Mr Arafat.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met several times with Mr Abbas, but Israeli officials have declared they will not deal with a Palestinian government that derives its authority from Mr Arafat. Israel charges that Mr Arafat is tainted by terrorism. Last week, after two Hamas suicide bombers killed 15 Israelis in one day, the Israeli security Cabinet said it would “remove” Mr Arafat at an unspecified time, leaving open the possibility of expulsion or assassination. The decision set off international condemnation and a wave of renewed Palestinian support for Mr Arafat.
