Israeli troops blew up the West Bank home of a Hamas suicide bomber yesterday and searched his town for fugitives, as Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and leaders of his Fatah party started putting together a new Cabinet.
The Palestinian prime minister-designate, Ahmed Qureia, has given Arafat and Fatah considerable say over the composition of his government. Qureia has said he wants to avoid confrontations with Arafat that helped bring down his predecessor, Mahmoud Abbas.
Arafat's central role in forging the new governing team flew in the face of criticism from Israel and the US, who charge that he is tainted by terrorism. Both nations are boycotting Arafat and want him sidelined from involvement in diplomacy.
Arafat's standing among his people improved considerably following Israel's threat to "remove" him, leaving open the possibility of expulsion or assassination. Arafat and Abbas, who resigned on Sept. 6, had been locked in a struggle over authority, with the veteran Palestinian leader refusing to relinquish control over security forces.
Fatah leaders met for six hours late on Thursday, discussing the basic guidelines for the new government, to be headed by Qureia. Participants said the makeup of the Cabinet was discussed, but a list of ministers was not drawn up.
"There are different camps in Fatah and each camp has different opinions on what this government should look like and what policies it should have," said Amin Maqboul, a Fatah leader in the West Bank. Maqboul said younger Fatah members wanted new faces in the Cabinet, while others resisted changes.
US President George W. Bush heaped fresh criticism on Arafat on Thursday.
Speaking at the presidential retreat in Camp David, Bush said Arafat "has failed as a leader" and accused him of forcing Abbas out.
"And the people of the Palestinian territory must understand if they want peace, they must have leadership who is absolutely 100 percent committed to fighting off terror," Bush said.
Bush said he still supports the establishment of a Palestinian state as foreseen in the stalled "road map" plan. "But first things first: defeat those who want to stop this from happening," he said. "The terrorists who are bombing and killing aren't interested in a peaceful Palestinian state."
Fatah is to choose 15 of Qureia's 23 Cabinet ministers. Qureia is known to prefer new faces instead of some of the Fatah stalwarts who have held Cabinet seats up to now.
The remaining eight positions are to be filled with representatives of other Palestinian groups and independents. Participants in the Fatah meeting said Qureia is aiming for the broadest representation possible, including Cabinet ministers from opposition groups.
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