JERICHO, West Bank, 17 May 2003 — A political crisis loomed over the new Palestinian government as Negotiations Minister Saeb Erekat resigned yesterday, a day before a key meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas.
The political crisis further jeopardized the already tattered road map for peace as tension on the ground remained high, with the Israeli army staging yet another massive operation in the northern Gaza Strip.
In a phone call to AFP here, Erekat, an MP for the city, said he submitted his resignation to Abbas. He refused to explain why.
Official Palestinian sources said Erekat resented his exclusion from the meeting with Sharon, while Minister of State for Security Affairs Mohammad Dahlan and parliamentary Speaker Ahmed Qorei were invited. “Abbas did not pick Erekat for the meeting with Sharon, and his resignation is clearly the result of intense internal squabbling,” said a senior Palestinian official on condition of anonymity.
“Some people in the Cabinet do not want to see him as negotiations minister and refuse to attend any meetings of the steering committee on negotiations if he’s there,” the official said. The official said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat asked Erekat to withdraw his resignation, and there was no confirmation that it had been accepted.
Erekat’s walkout might only be temporary, but the unexpected crisis underscores the fragility of the new Palestinian government, which was formed after intense wrangling between Abbas and Arafat.
On the eve of the talks, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said his government was unlikely to accept the road map without amendments. He told a news briefing that Israel had 14 “contributions” aimed at amending the peace plan sponsored by a quartet of international powers and already accepted by the Palestinians.
“These are not to put obstacles, but to narrow the gaps in order to implement the initiative,” Shalom said. “Otherwise I’m afraid it would be like so many (failed) initiatives since 1967.”
He suggested that asking Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s rightist Cabinet to approve an unchanged road map could bring down the government and force elections, causing further delay.
