RAMALLAH, 24 July 2003 — Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas’ political future rides on talks in Washington this week in which he will press demands for Israel to free prisoners, Palestinian officials said yesterday.
Abbas could face a confidence vote in Parliament on his return if he fails during tomorrow’s talks to persuade US President George W. Bush to increase pressure on Israel to release thousands of Palestinian prisoners, they said.
The prisoner issue is vital to Abbas’ standing among Palestinians and to the US-backed Middle East peace plan. With an estimated 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, it is an issue that touches nearly every Palestinian and is a primary condition of a three-month cease-fire declared by militants on June 29.
“If no progress is made in this important visit to Washington, we are sure that Abbas will face a tough situation among the Palestinian people and in the Palestinian Legislative Council,” Information Minister Nabil Amr said.
“Some lawmakers are demanding that there be a confidence vote on the Cabinet after the Washington visit,” he told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Abbas hopes to shore up his position during the visit by making progress on the US-backed road map which outlines reciprocal steps toward ending violence and establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel in 2005.
