Posted on 09/20/2003 9:45:55 PM PDT by yonif
The US is putting pressure on the Palestinian Authority to include outgoing Security Minister Muhammad Dahlan and Information Minister Nabil Amr in the new cabinet of Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qurei.
PA officials said the Americans have made it clear that they would like to see Dahlan and Amr serving in key positions in Qurei's cabinet. Last week, US special envoy to the Middle East John Wolf warned that Washington would not deal with a cabinet that is fully controlled by PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Dahlan and Amr are closely associated with former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas, who resigned earlier this month following a fierce power struggle with Arafat.
Many members of the PLO executive committee and the Fatah central council are strongly opposed to the inclusion of the two in the new cabinet, accusing them of openly challenging Arafat and seeking to undercut his powers.
A member of the Fatah central council told The Jerusalem Post that any attempt to bring Dahlan back to power would be scuttled by the PA. "We're done with him," he explained. "He was behaving as if he didn't belong to the Palestinian Authority.
He introduced his security plan to the Americans before discussing it with the Palestinian leadership."
Arafat is also opposed to giving any posts in the cabinet to Dahlan and Amr, although one of his aides said that was not his final position on the issue. "President Arafat may change his mind at the last minute," he added.
Qurei arrived in Gaza City on Saturday for a series of meetings with representatives of Palestinian political parties and organizations on the formation of his cabinet.
Qurei is hoping to convince Hamas and Islamic Jihad to join a "national unity" cabinet, but the two groups remain vehemently opposed to the idea. Qurei, who is expected to announce his new cabinet later this week, told the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam that the US stance on Arafat is "regrettable" and harmful to the peace process.
On Thursday, US President George W. Bush charged that Arafat "has failed as a leader" and is responsible for stalling the Middle East road map to peace.
"This is regrettable and does not serve the peace process. [Arafat] is an elected leader and represents the will of the Palestinian people," Qurei said.
"We hope that President Bush and the American administration respect the will of the Palestinian people," he said.
The new cabinet consists of 24 ministers, 16 of them Fatah representatives chosen by the faction's central council.
Mousa Za'bout, a legislator from Gaza City with close links to Hamas, said Saturday he has accepted an offer by Qurei to join the cabinet.
4. MOHAMMED DAHLAN Dahlan, 41, is chief of the Palestinian Security Forces in Gaza. He spent four years in Israeli prison for terrorist activities, and was a commander of operations for Arafat's Fatah terror group during the mass "intifada" violence that began in 1987. According to the Israeli government, Dahlan is one of the primary directors of the current terrorist violence against Israelis in the Gaza region.
Masterminded bombing of Israeli bus: Israel Radio reported on October 20, 2000, that "Dahlan was behind the October 18 bombing of an Israeli bus in Gush Katif." The Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported on November 16, 2000, that "members of the Preventive Security Force in Gaza, headed by Mohammed Dahlan, were involved in a series of attacks on Israelis in Gush Katif and Netzarim." Ha'aretz reported on April 17, 2001, that Yasir Arafat "takes an active part in decisions regarding the firing of mortars. The general directives in this regard are passed to Mohammed Dahlan, and from Dahlan to his deputy, Rashid Abu Shabak."
Ordered rocket attack on an Israeli bus: Dahlan is currently a defendant in a lawsuit filed by victims Arab terrorism, including an American citizen as well as three children whose legs were blown off in a Dahlan-directed rocket attack on a bus on November 20, 2000. The Israeli daily Hatzofeh has reported (April 13, 2001) that the Central Intelligence Agency has tape recordings of telephone conversations in which Dahlan can be heard ordering the November 20 rocket attack and other terrorist attacks against Israelis.
Shelters Hamas terrorists: Dahlan told the PA-sponsored newspaper Al Ayam on Oct.26, 1998 that terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad "will not be outlawed."
Hired Hamas terrorists: Dahlan said in an interview with the PA newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah on Sept.24, 1998, that 25 more Hamas terrorists have been hired by his force, specifically in order to protect them from being arrested by the Israelis.
Praised Hamas terrorists: In an interview with the Hamas newspaper Al-Risallah (cited in Ha'aretz, June 15, 1997), Dahlan said: "The presence of Hamas on Palestinian territory is very important for building the Palestinian homeland."
Threatened violence against Israel: On August 30, 1996, Dahlan said: "The Palestinian Authority does not exclude the return to the armed struggle, and it will then use its weapons." (Jerusalem Report, Nov. 28, 1996)
http://www.zoa.org/pressrel/20020212a.htm
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