Qureia vows Palestinian cabinet overhaul in reform plan

PALESTINIAN Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia yesterday promised a drastic overhaul of his cabinet, signalling the start of long-sought reform, after his original lineup of political old-timers prompted an angry outcry and threats of a no-confidence vote.

Mr Qureia told parliament he would largely appoint experts, rather than politicians, to the cabinet, to be presented to parliament for approval today.

Sweeping change in the cabinet would mark a first for the Palestinian Authority. Until now, the ministers were largely chosen from a small circle of the late Yasser Arafat, often regardless of expertise.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas appeared to be largely untouched by the political turmoil. Mr Abbas could simply appoint a new prime minister if Mr Qureia fails to win approval for his cabinet.

Meanwhile, in Israel, police said they would assign 18,000 officers, or nearly the entire field force, to the planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements this summer.

The officers involved in evacuating settlers won’t be armed, police said. Public security minister Gideon Ezra said extremists among the withdrawal opponents who incite to violence would be disarmed.

“Anyone who calls for using weapons, or other illegal means, will be taken care of,” he told Israel Radio.

Virtually all settlers are armed, many carrying army-issue weapons for defence against possible attack by Palestinian militants.

Jewish settler leaders said they plan mass sit-ins to try to thwart the evacuation of 9,000. Emily Amrusy, a spokeswoman for the Yesha Council of Jewish settlements, said she expected opponents of a withdrawal to mobilise 100,000 protesters. Ms Amrusy said protesters would refrain from violence.

The crisis over the Palestinian cabinet began on Monday when Mr Qureia presented a 24-member cabinet to parliament, with only four new faces in the team. In a stormy session, 23 of 27 speakers said they would not support the cabinet, demanding the ousting of several corruption-tainted ministers.

Mr Abbas, who replaced Mr Arafat, has promised to carry out sweeping government and security reforms, but legislators said the cabinet initially proposed by Mr Qureia would not be up to the job.