Posted on 05/11/2003 6:29:46 AM PDT by SJackson
PLO chieftain Yasser Arafat has appointed, over the past few days, dozens of senior clerks and officials throughout the PA administration, thus intensifying the crisis of faith between him and his prime ministerial-appointee, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Arafat began yelling and cursing at Mohammed Dahlan, an Abu Mazen-appointee in the new PA government, when he learned that Dahlan had taken a measure of control of the PA's Interior department.
A senior PA official told Itim News Agency that Arafat is attempting to amass more power and support within the PA. The source said that more than 58 Fatah members from all over the PA-controlled areas have been appointed to senior positions, mainly in the department responsible for Interior matters - which boasts 22,000 employees. Fifteen Arafat-appointees have joined the Shechem office, where the opposition to Arafat until now has been relatively strong.
The PA source also said that Arafat has intervened directly in the Abu Mazen government, by promoting Abdel Aziz Sharia - who is responsible for "appointments" in the PA - to a position equivalent to that of government minister. Sharia is known to have been involved in many scandals and much corruption over the past seven years, and PA public opinion is against him. Arafat similarly promoted his chief office manager, Ramzi Hori, to a ministerial rank, drawing the ire of Abu Mazen and his men. The latter say that Arafat's moves are against the new "Palestinian constitution."
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Mahmoud a-Zaher, one of the top Hamas terrorist leaders, declared that Palestinian Authority prime minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) will not attempt to disarm the Islamist organization. He made the prediction, he said, based on talks he had with the Palestinian Authority leader. According to a-Zaher, Abu Mazen would not be able to disarm Hamas even if he wanted to do so. Such an attempt, he said, would find no support among PA Arabs.
Meanwhile, Hamas guns are still being used against Jews. The Islamist terrorist group claimed responsibility for the shooting attack north of Ofrah this morning, which cost the life of one Israeli motorist.
Israel, for its part, is not waiting for the PLO to act against Hamas. On Saturday, IDF troops destroyed the home of a senior Hamas commander in PA-controlled Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. The Hamas commander was linked to rocket and mortar shell attacks against IDF forces and Israeli civilians. The IDF force left the PA area after the operation. Also on Saturday, IDF forces apprehended a wanted Hamas terrorist in the Hevron district.
COLORFUL! LOL! Well said, time for martyrdom for Yasser! Without that, nothing will change.
..'NUFF SAID!
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