RAMALLAH, West Bank, 7 September 2003 — The crisis in the Palestinian leadership reached its climax yesterday when Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas submitted his resignation, dealing a serious blow to a US-backed peace plan.
President Yasser Arafat told lawmakers in a meeting later that Abbas now heads a caretaker government, implying that he had accepted the resignation. Arafat has three weeks to appoint a replacement to Abbas.
Abbas’ resignation leaves Israel and the United States without a negotiating partner, at least temporarily. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s office warned it would not agree to Arafat heading the Palestinian government, and the Israeli justice minister said Israel may now reconsider sending him into exile.
Abbas, who was backed by Israel and the United States during his four turbulent months in office, told a closed-door session of Parliament that his decision was final.
In a letter to Arafat, Abbas said he was resigning as a result of “harsh and dangerous domestic incitement” against the government and a lack of support for its actions. He also said Israel’s unwillingness to implement its obligations in the road map led to his resignation.
Abbas said the United States “did not exert sufficient influence on Israel” to carry out commitments under the plan.
Abbas read his letter, stood up and left without further discussion, participants said. Lawmakers said Abbas was stung by accusations, including by leaders of Arafat’s Fatah movement, that he betrayed the Palestinian cause.
Palestinian sources said Arafat would host two key meetings at his headquarters here today. Arafat will preside over a meeting of the Fatah central committee in the morning before chairing an evening gathering of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee.
Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath and Parliament Speaker Ahmad Qorei are among those expected to attend the Fatah meeting. Qorei is one of the frontrunners to succeed Abbas.
After maintaining hours of silence, the White House said the United States remained committed to the implementation of the road map.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Washington was watching the situation closely and advised the parties to weigh the consequences of their actions.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrived in Cairo to discuss with Egyptian and Arab League officials ways to salvage the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Solana is to meet today with President Hosni Mubarak, Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and Arab League chief Amr Moussa, officials at the Foreign Ministry and the pan-Arab organization said.
