Difficult Birth Of Emergency Government

Fathi Sabbah     Al-Hayat     2003/10/13

Gaza

The 50-hour-long Israeli attack against Rafah city and the Yibna refugee camp, which lies along the borders with Egypt, killed eight Palestinians, injured over 80, totally wiped out 120 houses, and partially destroyed 70 others. Moreover, this aggression, which started during the night from Thursday to Friday and suddenly stopped yesterday at dawn, resulted in the destruction of streets and the infrastructure, including power networks and generators. The Palestinians compared the scene of destruction to the aftermath of a strong earthquake. The Palestinian Authority described this aggression as an act of "racial extermination" against the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, President Yasser Arafat and the appointed Prime Minister Ahmad Qureih reached a temporary solution for the government's crisis, in a meeting of the Fatah central committee at the president's residence in Ramallah yesterday. They agreed that Qureih's government would be considered as one of emergency, as it was stated in the official act that was delivered on October 5. However, the Fatah central committee failed to settle the issue of the controversial position of the Minister of Interior, adopting a temporary solution that entrusts this position to the Prime Minister and that sets a one-month term for the emergency government. General Nasr Youssef will no longer be appointed Minister of the Interior, reportedly because he angered Arafat by refusing to take the oath to assume the position.

In a significant development, Qureih told the press after yesterday's meeting that the government would work for 20 to 45 days, after which there would be a new government and a new Prime Minister, as an indication of his intention to retire from the position and his refusal to assume the responsibility of forming a new government.

Qureih's statement is indicative of the level of despair and frustration that he has reached regarding the possibility of convincing President Arafat of his intentions or vision, or even of reaching an agreement on a minimum solution, such as 'co-living with the crisis.'

Al-Hayat was told that President Arafat suggested to Qureih to assign the position of Minister of Interior to Hakam Balaawi, a member of the central committee, but that Qureih had refused on the grounds that it was announced before the whole world that Youssef would assume that position, but that Arafat had refused this.

According to Abbas Zaki, a member of the Fatah central committee, the committee decided that "the government is an emergency one and that it will proceed with its work for one month, after which its term could be extended or an ordinary government would be formed and submitted to the Legislative council for the vote of confidence.'

Al Tayyeb Abdelrahim, one of Arafat's main assistants, announced yesterday that President Arafat had completely recovered from the flu and the stomach problems he was suffering from, and that the Egyptian medical team had left after making sure that Arafat was in good health.