Qorei Resigns Over Differences With Arafat
Arafat contested the appointment of Nasser yussuf, who did not turn up on Tuesday to take the oath before the Palestinian leader with other ministers, as the new interior minister, said the sources.
President Arafat and Qorei were also at loggerheads as to the naming of the new government, said Abdel-Rahman Hamad, a member of the new government and also a lawmaker.
"It seems there was a difference on naming the cabinet emergency or ordinary one as an emergency government would not need a confidence vote," he said.
Hamad underlined, however, that the new ministers refused to operate until after securing the confidence of the Legislative Council.
Officially naming the eight-member cabinet Sunday, October 6, Arafat issued a decree declaring a state of emergency and naming Qorei as head of an emergency cabinet.
Some MPs had argued that while Arafat had the right to declare a state of emergency, there was no prevision in the Palestinian constitution for an emergency cabinet and that Qorei’s team would require parliamentary approval.
Downplaying the disagreement as "not substantial", Hamad said the fragile situation in Palestinian territories could not bear "a constitutional conflict".
The PLC session, due Thursday for a confidence vote on Qorei’s government, was postponed indefinitely.
It was not immediately clear whether Arafat accepted Qorei’s resignation.
But leading Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the disagreement could be resolved by Saturday.
He admitted, at the same time, serious differences between President Arafat and Qorei.
Abdel-Sattar Qassem, a political analyst, argued Arafat wants to maintain his grip on the new government by installing three aides to the interior minister.
He attributes the step to Arafat’s "maneuverability", adding the Palestinian leader wants to keep all strings in his hand as long as he lived.
On the future of Palestinian premiership, the expert admitted the post had been created under "pressures from the U.S. and not out of a popular desire".
