More cracks appearing in the PA. I find the Reuters source esp. interesting, as Reuters usually reports from the West Bank using Palestinian stringers:
Palestinians Say Political Reforms Needed
May 4
— RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians want political reform in the Palestinian Authority following Israel's devastating incursions into Palestinian cities, a minister who has tendered his resignation said Saturday.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nabil Amr, who submitted his resignation Friday, said political change must come from within Palestinian institutions.
"Everybody feels that an earthquake has taken place in Palestinian society. So the changes must be equal in size to what happened," Amr told journalists in Ramallah, referring to the Israeli offensive.
"I say the change must come from within the Palestinian Authority," he added.
Palestinian officials said angry exchanges erupted among senior officials during Friday's meeting -- the first since the offensive -- as they debated the nature of changes needed and how to bring them about.
Israel launched its offensive on March 29 against West Bank areas to root out militants after a series of suicide bombings which killed Israelis.
They said some wanted a cabinet reshuffle to trim some of the 30 ministries, and to bring various branches of the Palestinian security apparatus under one command.
Others demand more sweeping reforms, including enhancing the powers of the Palestinian Legislative Council in monitoring the cabinet's performance, as well as overhauling the judiciary.
Critics have accused President Yasser Arafat's administration of being autocratic and corrupt. Mohammed Dahlan, head of Palestinian Preventive Security in the Gaza Strip, said the change must include various bodies of the Palestinian Authority.
The authority, in a statement issued after Friday's meeting, said the leadership would remain in open session to hear various proposals and ideas on the needed changes.
"The coming stage requires new policies and various changes," said Nabil Abu Rdainah, a senior advisor to Arafat, said in remarks carried by the official WAF news agency.
abcnews.go.com |
