Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas Resigns
By LARA SUKHTIAN, Associated Press Writer
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, submitted his resignation Saturday, dealing a serious blow to a U.S.-backed peace plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office warned it would not agree to Arafat heading the Palestinian government, and a senior Israeli official demanded that Arafat be sent into exile.
Within hours of the announcement, an Israeli helicopter fired missiles at an apartment building and wounded Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin in the hand. He was the highest-ranking Hamas figure to be attacked in an Israeli campaign against militants. Ten other people were wounded.
Hamas officials said Yassin was carried out of a building by his bodyguards and taken to his van. Yassin, the founder and spiritual leader of the militant group, is a quadriplegic.
Abbas held office for only four turbulent months, and there was some uncertainty about whether his resignation was final. Arafat delayed a decision on whether to accept the resignation, and one lawmaker suggest Abbas' withdrawal was a tactical move to pressure Arafat to relinquish some authority.
Abbas, who was backed by Israel and the United States, told a closed-door session of parliament that his decision was final. In a statement issued later, he listed a number of reasons for his resignation, including what he said was Israel's unwillingness to implement its obligations in the "road map" peace plan, and "harsh and dangerous domestic incitement against the government."
Abbas, widely known as Abu Mazen, read his statement, then stood up and left the plenum without further discussion, participants said. "Abu Mazen has made his decision," said Abdel Fatah Hamayel, a legislator from the ruling Fatah movement. "He's insisting it's a final decision."
Lawmakers said Abbas was stung by accusations, including by leaders of the ruling Fatah party, that he betrayed the Palestinian cause.
Arafat aides initially said the Palestinian leader had accepted the resignation, but Arafat adviser Nabil Abu Rdeneh later said he was still studying Abbas' letter. If the resignation becomes final, Arafat would have three weeks to appoint a replacement, and in the meantime, Abbas and his Cabinet would serve as caretakers.
The U.S. State Department had no official comment.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said in a statement that the resignation was an internal Palestinian matter, but that Israel "will not accept a state of affairs in which control over the Palestinian Authority reverts back to Yasser Arafat or one of his loyalists."
The statement did not say what action Israel might take.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom reiterated that Israel would not negotiate with Arafat. "The man is part of the problem and not part of the solution," Shalom said in a statement.
Abbas' resignation could lower the threshold for possible Israeli action against Arafat; Israel's defense minister has raised the possibility of sending Arafat into exile.
Abbas' possible departure would mean even greater uncertainty for the "road map" peace plan, already in serious trouble because of a major spike in violence in recent weeks and the collapse of a unilateral truce by militants.
With Abbas gone, Israel and the United States would not have a negotiating partner, at least temporarily. The two nations shun Arafat, saying he is an obstacle to peacemaking.
U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security Tom Ridge, speaking in Italy, said the resignation would delay efforts to get Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.
"There was great promise there, great hope there, but (Abbas) was consistently being undermined by elements within the Palestinian Authority," Ridge said. "Arafat has not been a partner in this effort, has not provided a path to peace."
Israeli Cabinet Minister Danny Naveh on Saturday called for Arafat's expulsion. "The state of Israel needs to ensure the security of its citizens, and the first step for that is expelling the terrorist Yasser Arafat," Naveh said in a statement.
Abbas had his resignation letter delivered to Arafat by two senior officials Saturday before addressing the legislature in a closed-door session to explain his decision.
Hassan Khreishe, a Palestinian legislator, said it was possible the resignation was a tactical move. "This could be either a move to increase pressure on Arafat, or to allow Arafat to reappoint him as prime minister so that confidence in him can be renewed," said Khreishe, of Arafat's Fatah movement. If Abbas were reappointed, it would allow Arafat to get rid of some Cabinet members he doesn't support, such as Abbas' security chief, Mohammed Dahlan.
International pressure could also help sway parliament members who were to hold a confidence vote on Abbas next week, with a growing majority having expressed dissatisfaction with Abbas' performance.
Abbas had been frustrated by the constant wrangling with Arafat, his aides said. He was also hurt by the near-collapse of the road map and his inability to improve the daily lives of Palestinians.
Abbas' resignation could end up being a blow to Arafat, even if at first it appeared the veteran leader had outmaneuvered his politically inexperienced prime minister.
Israel's defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, said earlier this week that Israel might have to expel Arafat before the end of the year if Arafat keeps getting into the way of peace efforts. Israeli analysts have said Abbas' departure was one scenario in which Israel might decide to act.
Until now, Sharon had held back on expulsion, both because of U.S. opposition and because of warnings from his security advisers that sending Arafat abroad would do more harm than keeping him relatively isolated at his West Bank headquarters.
Former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, an architect of previous peace accords, said Sharon shouldered much of the blame for Abbas' difficulties because of continued Israeli military strikes in the Palestinian areas. "He (Sharon) made him (Abbas) a very weak leader in front of his people," Beilin said.
Abbas and Arafat have been at odds ever since Arafat reluctantly appointed the prime minister under intense international pressure in April. The latest standoff was over control of the security forces. Abbas, backed by the United States, demanded command over all men under arms, but Arafat refused to relinquish control over four of the eight security branches.
Abbas said he would not clamp down on militants, as required by the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan. However, being in control of all the security forces would have given him greater authority in renewed negotiations with Hamas, Islamic Jihad and renegades from his own Fatah movement.
Earlier this week, Abbas told parliament it must either back him or strip him of his post, saying he was not clinging to the job and would just as soon step down.
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