Palestinian Political Turmoil
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas intervened Wednesday to end a political crisis over the formation of a new Cabinet, after it became apparent the turmoil could bring down his prime minister.
Legislators from Abbas' Fatah Party had said they would not support Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia's new Cabinet, despite promises that he would replace corruption-tainted politicians with professional appointees.
The proposed Cabinet was stacked with cronies of the late Yasser Arafat, who are widely seen as corrupt, reports CBS News Correspondent Robert Berger. Qureia made a few changes, but they were rejected too, so he will have to get rid of more officials from the so-called old guard. The Palestinian parliament is pushing for reform in the post-Arafat era.
Qureia will have to step down if he fails to get his Cabinet approved. A vote was originally set for later Wednesday, but was then delayed until Thursday at the earliest — a sign of Qureia's difficulties. Sources told Israel's Haaretz newspaper that Qureia does not intend to present a new cabinet Thursday.
In other developments:
Qureia's woes underscored the increasingly freewheeling nature of Palestinian politics following last year's death of Arafat, with politicians more willing to break party discipline.
It's a turning point for Palestinian politics, said legislator Hanan Ashrawi.
"The conclusion is that what people want are (ministers) who are capable, who are honest, who have credibility and who will do the work," she said.
Several legislators said they wanted to push Qureia out and would not support any Cabinet he proposes. During years as parliament speaker, Qureia made many enemies among legislators who perceived him as doing the bidding of Arafat, at the expense of the legislature.
Abbas had largely remained on the sidelines during the political turmoil of the past few days, but convened Fatah legislators Wednesday and urged them to support Qureia's Cabinet. An angry Qureia did not participate in the meeting, and instead returned to his home in the Jerusalem suburb of Abu Dis.
Fatah controls more than half the seats in the 85-member parliament.
Abbas, widely known as Abu Mazen, told legislators they should set their criticism aside because the new Cabinet would only serve for a few months, anyhow, until legislative elections in July. "The whole world is watching and we have a lot to do," Fatah legislator Abdel Karim Abu Salah quoted Abbas as telling the group.
Some participants said they would withdraw their opposition, provided Qureia presents the new team to the Fatah legislators before the parliament vote and removed two proposed ministers — outgoing Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath and chief negotiator Saeb Erekat.
Qureia had said his new Cabinet would largely consist of technocrats, not politicians, but had asked to make an exception for Shaath and Erekat, who are both members of parliament and political veterans. Erekat had said earlier Wednesday he did not want to be part of the new Cabinet.
Fatah legislator Mohammed Horani said the crisis appears to be over. "We have agreed in principle with Abu Mazen to let this crisis pass," he said.
Late Tuesday, more than two dozen legislators, including many from Fatah, met in a Ramallah hotel and decided not to back the new list, participants said. Fatah controls more than half the seats in the 85-member parliament, and Qureia needs broad support from the party's legislators.
Earlier this week, Qureia had presented a Cabinet to parliament that included only four new faces, prompting an angry outcry from legislators. After wall-to-wall criticism, he returned with a promise to overhaul his team and appoint many more professionals.
Israel and the United States have long demanded reforms to the corruption-plagued Palestinian Authority, and success in the task is one of the key tests for Abbas.
Abbas and Qureia have long been political rivals, but cooperated after Arafat's death in November. In recent weeks, their relationship has cooled.
The Fatah party has dominated Palestinian politics for four decades, ruling the Palestinian Authority since its inception in 1994. But some say voter frustration with corruption and cronyism will lead to the party's defeat in a July parliamentary election.