RAMALLAH, West Bank, 21 March 2003 — Moderate PLO veteran Mahmoud Abbas started his job as the first Palestinian prime minister yesterday with a warm welcome from round the world, but in the shadow of a US-led war on Iraq.
Israel and the United States see the appointment of Abbas, expected to take control of domestic issues and reduce veteran Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s powers, as a key step to reforming the Palestinian Authority and renewing the collapsed peace process.
Both allies also hope that the US-led war which opened yesterday with dawn air raids on Baghdad will clear the way for sweeping democratic reforms across the region, although Palestinians condemned the attacks.
The United States on Wednesday for the first time sent a clear message that it was pleased with Palestinian reform efforts, particularly the naming of a prime minister, and signaled it would press Israel hard to accept a long-delayed peace plan.
The White House said President George W. Bush saw the creation of the premier’s post as an “important development” toward much-needed reform and that he “welcomes the steps that have been taken in the Palestinian Authority.”
“It’s a sign of progress,” spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters in Washington. Last week, Bush promised to release a long-delayed international “road map” for peace as soon as a Palestinian prime minister with real powers was confirmed in office.
At the State Department on Wednesday, spokesman Richard Boucher appeared to allay the Palestinian concerns, maintaining that Washington wanted contributions only on the implementation of the plan. “We would expect and welcome comments by the parties and the active engagement of the parties in implementing the road map,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority “totally” condemned the war launched by the United States against Iraq, a senior minister said, warning the Jewish state not to exploit the conflict. “We Palestinians are against the war and we totally condemn this war in the Middle East. A solution must be found to this problem through diplomatic means, with the international community,” Local Authorities Minister Saeb Erekat said.
“We are warning Israel not to exploit this war against Iraq to carry out more attacks against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and destroy the Palestinian Authority and the peace process,” he told AFP. Israeli tanks and troops have in recent weeks carried out frequent and devastating incursions into the Gaza Strip to target the Hamas and Islamic Jihad that have spearheaded attacks during the 29-month Palestinian intifada.
