Word: arafats
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Furious that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat hasn't halted terror attacks on Israelis, the U.S. wants thorough reform of his Palestinian Authority. Mainly, American diplomats are pushing to convert Arafat's presidency to a purely ceremonial post, shifting the real business of running the government to a new, popularly elected Prime Minister. But Arafat has other ideas...
...Americans. First, elections will be held in January only if the Israelis pull their troops out of all Palestinian towns--something that looks less likely with each new terror attack, like the Hebrew University bombing last week that killed seven. Second, rather than be relegated to a symbolic role, Arafat plans to step aside as President and run for the Prime Minister's job himself. He has suggested Haider Abdel Shafi, a respected Gazan, for the ceremonial presidency. Abdel Shafi was unavailable for comment, but aides close to Arafat say the Palestinian leader's aim is to give the impression...
...Common Foreign and Security Policy, has made several attempts to broker a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians - to no avail. And in April German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer put forward proposals that could serve as a blueprint for fresh talks. Fischer's plan calls for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to appoint a caretaker prime minister until January, when newly elected officials would carry out the reforms necessary for the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of next year. That state would then complete negotiations with Israel over final borders and other issues...
...separated from Israel by a border fence that has, for the most part, kept terrorists from reaching Israeli cities. Its settler population of under 5,000 is concentrated into two large, defensible blocs, and Israel has refrained from repeating its wholesale invasion of the West Bank in Gaza. And Arafat, bottled up in Ramallah, won't be able to dance a victory jig in the wake of the retreating Israeli tanks...
...plan raises divisions aplenty on the Palestinian side, too. Those under curfew in the West Bank cities will see little to cheer in a "Gaza-first" cease-fire, and even Arafat's own cabinet was divided over whether to accept Ben Eliezer's offer. Gaza is a stronghold of Hamas, whose political standing continues to grow at the expense of Arafat's own Fatah movement. The PA's approach to implementing a cease-fire there may depend, in large part, on securing Hamas's agreement to such a step, on the basis that both sides would prefer to avoid...