And Sharon suggested Israel would leave Arafat alone. "If the Palestinians want to keep Arafat as a symbol -- though I don't know what specifically he embodies -- it's the business of the Palestinians," he said last week during a trip to Russia.
On Sunday, Arafat won a re-sounding victory over Qureia with the naming of a new Cabinet, tightening his grip over the security services and punishing Yousef's snub by naming a different interior minister.
Qureia had a stark choice, said Palestinian political analyst Hani Masri. He could have continued to fight and appear to be doing the bidding of Sharon and US President George W. Bush, or he could give in and appear to be working with Arafat.
"He's chosen Arafat, because if he didn't, he would have been sent home," Masri said.
Kadoura Fares, one of the few newcomers named to the Cabinet, derided US and Israeli efforts to bypass Arafat.
"It's not helpful, not for peace, not for anything," he said. "Yasser Arafat is the only one on the Palestinian side who can put his signature on a final [peace] agreement."
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