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March 14, 2003/Adar2 10 5763, Vol. 55, No. 29
Officials hail Palestinian prime minister choice
LESLIE SUSSER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
JERUSALEM - Israeli officials are hailing the choice of Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian prime minister as a potential watershed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one that creates new hope for a cease-fire and a new political process.
For months now, Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has been speaking out against the militarization of the intifada against Israel, which he calls a "strategic mistake" and a "dead end."
But will he be able to impose his will on the various Palestinian terrorist organizations to get them to stop the violence?
And will he be able to do anything significant against the will of Yasser Arafat, who remains Palestinian Authority president and who retains much of his executive power?
On March 10, Palestinian legislators confirmed the PLO Central Committee's March 8 decision to create the post. The council has yet to approve the selection of Abbas to hold the post, though it's considered likely.
In any case, the new prime minister's duties may cause tension with Israel and the United States.
According to reports, the new prime minister would control the day-to-day running of Palestinian government, while Arafat would continue to exercise control over negotiations with Israel and over the Palestinian security services - precisely the levers that Arafat uses to prevent progress toward peace and to promote terrorism, Israeli officials say.
The notion of appointing a prime minister alongside Arafat came after President Bush called for extensive Palestinian reforms last June, including the replacement of Arafat by a Palestinian leadership not tainted by terrorism.
The idea was promoted by Israelis, members of the international community and even many Palestinians - but Arafat, who saw it clearly as a ploy to circumvent him, resisted it.
As long as Arafat remained in charge, Israeli government officials argued, there would be no reforms, no cease-fire and no possibility of peace talks. Appointing a strong prime minister with authority and real power, they said, could change things.
The European Union and the United Nations, which continued to maintain contacts with Arafat after Israel and the United States boycotted him, bought into the prime minister idea late last year, and used their close ties with Arafat to push it forward.
Officials at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee said Abbas is not an Arafat puppet, but the question is still open how much freedom Abbas will have to set policy and maneuver.
Abbas has made said he won't accept the position unless he is able to form the government he wants.
Leslie Susser is the diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Report. JTA correspondent Naomi Segal contributed to this report.
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