Israel Sees Arafat As Stumbling Block for Latest PA Prime Minister

[Fozzledick]

Julie Stahl
Jerusalem Bureau Chief

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - There is no chance that the new government of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia will succeed in making peace with Israel as long as PA Chairman Yasser Arafat is still pulling the strings, a senior advisor to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said on Wednesday. He spoke amid press reports - quickly denied - that Arafat had a mild heart attack.

Qureia (Abu Ala) meanwhile, asked Israelis to give his new government a chance to stop the violence.

"Give us a chance and the opportunity to prevent the continuation of the deterioration," Qureia was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview published in the Hebrew daily Ma'ariv on Wednesday.

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1224187.html


Unfortunately, the new PM doesn't seem serious about stopping terrorist attacks:


Palestinian PM resists crackdown on militants
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie says he will not risk a civil war by cracking down on Islamic militants, despite pressure to rein them in under the US-backed plan for peace with Israel.

A day after President Yasser Arafat declared a state of emergency in the Palestinian territories, Mr Qurie says he will try to persuade the Islamic Jihad or Hamas to halt their attacks on Israelis.

But he says he would confront the violence through dialogue, rather than with martial law.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/justin/weekly/newsnat-7oct2003-16.htm