RAMALLAH, West Bank: Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, an independent technocrat favored by the West, may face pressure to cede his post to a figure from the resurgent Fatah movement, political sources said on Wednesday.
Western diplomats said this might be one outcome of Fatah’s landmark congress in Bethlehem, its first in 20 years and first on Palestinian soil, which senior figures say has strengthened the movement and its leader, President Mahmoud Abbas.
“This has always been on the cards. It remains to be seen what the president wants,” said a Western diplomat. “Remember, it’s a caretaker government and it’s entirely up to Abbas.” A senior Fatah official speaking on condition of anonymity said it would be “natural to review Fatah’s position now that we have a new leadership (with) the right to reconsider its representatives in the government.”
Many in Fatah have been irked by Abbas’s reliance on Fayyad, a former International Monetary Fund official, and complain budget cuts have hit the party and its loyalists.
Fayyad’s supporters, including Western aid donors, say the premier has curbed corruption and waste that Fatah’s critics say were the hallmarks of its earlier rule.
A source close to the prime minister said: “The government should enjoy the official support of the biggest party.
“This means that the government may be changed, reshuffled or stay. But at the end of the day, the government should be publicly backed by the ruling party, not only by (Abbas).”
Fayyad, 57, has headed the caretaker Palestinian Authority government for the past two years, since Abbas dismissed an elected, Hamas-led government following fighting in the Gaza Strip in which Hamas fighters defeated Fatah-led forces.
He is rejected outright as a Western puppet by Hamas which runs the Gaza Strip and is Fatah’s main political rival for dominance of the Palestinian cause.
Fayyad has no significant power base of his own but is popular for his grass-roots engagement. Hamas would welcome his removal at any time. They consider him an obstacle to dialogue because of his security crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank.
Fayyad’s government has made progress in key areas. Public finance, once in chaos, is now up to international standards, he says. There is also better security in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with US-backed police helping curb crime and persuade Israel to ease some restrictions on movement.
Fatah stalwarts attacked Fayyad for a June 22 keynote speech which they said exceeded his authority.
Fayyad defended his outlook in an interview with Reuters on June 29, saying it was time for Palestinian leaders to “stir things up” and get on with building the independent state they seek, instead of waiting for a peace agreement with Israel.
