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Reports from the West Bank as the Legislative Council approves a Hamas-led cabinet
The 24-minister Hamas-led Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet was approved by a large majority by the Legislative Council on Tuesday, the same day Israeli general elections were held. Preceded by two days of often acrimonious discussion of the government programme among law-makers, particularly from the Fatah-dominated opposition, the approval was largely a formality since Hamas, which won the 25-January legislative elections, controls as many as 74 seats in the 132-seat parliament.
Seventy-one law-makers, including four independent deputies and two representing the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, gave the government their confidence. Thirteen law-makers, including nine affiliated with Hamas, could not take part in the voting as they remain in detention in Israeli jails and detention camps. Ten others were absent, probably because they could not make it to Ramallah through numerous Israeli roadblocks and checkpoints. Meanwhile, 36 law-makers voted against the government, and three abstained.
But all Fatah law-makers voted against the government, citing Hamas's refusal to recognise either previous agreements concluded between Israel and the PA leadership, or the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as "the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people".
Hamas had defended its position in this regard, arguing that the PLO in its current shape is anachronistic and does not truly represent all the Palestinian people. Hamas leaders, including speaker of parliament Aziz Duweik, said the PLO would have to be restructured and reformed, noting that the bulk of Palestine National Council (PNC) members were never elected but rather appointed by late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Hamas's statements on this issue exasperated some Fatah leaders, and PA Secretary Tayeb Abdul-Rahim warned Hamas that PA President Abbas would overthrow the government if the new government continued to undermine the paramount interests of the Palestinian people. Other Fatah leaders, apparently seeking to put Hamas on the defensive, went as far as accusing the movement of "acquiescing" to plans by acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to annex large swaths of the West Bank and unilaterally impose borders between Israel and whatever would remain un-annexed of Palestinian territory.
Hamas scoffed at the charges, calling them "too brazen to be believed". Nonetheless, the Fatah caucus chairman in the Legislative Council, Azzam Al-Ahmed, said he hoped the new government would be able to work in harmony with the PA leadership, in spite of differences. "Hamas must understand that running a government is not the same as running an organisation," he said, adding that while the government's programme talked about peace, it did not outline the mechanisms of achieving peace. "I hope they will rewrite the programme in line with the requirements of our people."
More
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/788/re4.htm
But all Fatah law-makers voted against the government, citing Hamas's refusal to recognise either previous agreements concluded between Israel and the PA leadership, or the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as "the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people".
Hamas had defended its position in this regard, arguing that the PLO in its current shape is anachronistic and does not truly represent all the Palestinian people. Hamas leaders, including speaker of parliament Aziz Duweik, said the PLO would have to be restructured and reformed, noting that the bulk of Palestine National Council (PNC) members were never elected but rather appointed by late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Hamas's statements on this issue exasperated some Fatah leaders, and PA Secretary Tayeb Abdul-Rahim warned Hamas that PA President Abbas would overthrow the government if the new government continued to undermine the paramount interests of the Palestinian people. Other Fatah leaders, apparently seeking to put Hamas on the defensive, went as far as accusing the movement of "acquiescing" to plans by acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to annex large swaths of the West Bank and unilaterally impose borders between Israel and whatever would remain un-annexed of Palestinian territory.
Hamas scoffed at the charges, calling them "too brazen to be believed". Nonetheless, the Fatah caucus chairman in the Legislative Council, Azzam Al-Ahmed, said he hoped the new government would be able to work in harmony with the PA leadership, in spite of differences. "Hamas must understand that running a government is not the same as running an organisation," he said, adding that while the government's programme talked about peace, it did not outline the mechanisms of achieving peace. "I hope they will rewrite the programme in line with the requirements of our people."
More
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/788/re4.htm
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The final declaration of the Khartoum Arab Summit calls for the adoption of two important positions concerning the Palestinian cause: that the Palestinian people's will, as expressed through democratic elections, be respected, and that there be no halt in economic aid. Unfortunately, neither of these resolutions forms a practical challenge to the European Union or the United States.
Democracy can have no meaning if its results are refused simply because they do not conform to some people's wishes. And when it comes to material support, the Western position is essentially a policy of collective punishment of the Palestinian people for voting in Hamas. This policy contradicts international law.
If Arab nations are to gain credibility they need to do more than adopt a resolution to continue aid and increase its amount. They need to act on that resolution. Arab states had earlier promised to provide the Palestinians with $50 million a month. Unfortunately, much of that sum was not forthcoming. Now the position is even more critical, a result of the stand being taken by Western governments on aid to the Palestinians, and the continuing practices of the Israeli occupation.
The Palestinian acting finance minister has said that confusion now governs the financial situation, and for several reasons. Israel has stopped returning tax receipts to the value of $55 million per month. There is also an estimated shortfall of $1.071 billion in the Palestinian Authority budget as donor nations withhold aid. As a result, many government employees have yet to receive their February salaries.
This is in addition to the losses Palestinians face as a result of crossing closures. It is estimated that the Gaza Strip has lost $20 million in exports owing to crossing closures in the first three months of this year. To this figure must be added the costs incurred by the paralysis of production that results from the inability to import raw materials despite American-Palestinian-Israeli agreements on commercial traffic.
Hamas implored the Khartoum Arab Summit to increase aid. Khaled Mashal, the head of Hamas's political office, says that the government will need more than $170 million a month, a bulk of which goes towards paying salaries. During their meeting last Sunday in Khartoum, Arab foreign ministers inserted a paragraph into the draft final declaration -- to be discussed by leaders -- calling for $55million per month in aid to the Palestinians.
More
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/788/op1.htm
The militant Islamic Jihad group said Wednesday it has "many" Russian-made Katyusha rockets that it can launch at Israel from the Gaza Strip. The group fired such a rocket from Gaza toward Israel for the first time on Tuesday. Islamic Jihad said the Grad version of the Katyusha is 2.8 meters long, carries a 17-kg warhead, and has a range of 18-30 km. Abu Abdullah, a spokesman for the group, said the rockets were made in Russia and smuggled into Gaza from Egypt. "These rockets, God willing, will be the reason for liberating the villages adjacent to the Gaza Strip," he said.