MIDDLE EAST: Despite strong criticism from members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Mr Yasser Arafat won clear majority support for his new cabinet yesterday. In the process he stifled the most serious challenge to his leadership since becoming president of the Palestinian Authority at its inception eight years ago.
The approval of a new cabinet - by 56 votes to 18 - is a central element in the reforms demanded by the United States, but it was not immediately clear whether the changes introduced by the Palestinian leader would satisfy the Americans.
Clearly, they were not to the liking of all the members of the 85-member legislative council, which convened in Mr Arafat's compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"I don't think this cabinet can lead the Palestinians out of the crisis," said Mr Ziad Abu Amr during the special council session, which Israel placed off limits to 13 members citing security reasons.
"You are not allowed to talk about the members of the executive committee, you are not allowed," shouted an incensed Mr Arafat.
Mr Arafat's cabinet was forced to resign last month after deputies, angry about corruption and mismanagement at ministerial level, refused to support a reshuffle proposed by the Palestinian leader.
There was even talk of a putsch in the making, with members of Mr Arafat's Fatah party demanding that he surrender some of his powers to a prime minister.
But the siege imposed by the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, in response to a Tel Aviv suicide bombing, and the near-demolition of the Palestinian leader's Ramallah compound effectively saved him. The Palestinian public rallied around Mr Arafat and his critics fell silent, dropping their insistence on a prime minister.
Mr Arafat said the "rejection of the occupation and settlements doesn't mean a rejection of comprehensive peace, because peace is our strategic choice".
The new cabinet, which was reduced from 21 to 19 ministers, includes five new faces. The most significant addition is long-time Fatah member Dr Hani el Hassan, who takes over the Interior Ministry, which is meant to oversee the Palestinian security forces.
A Palestinian gunman infiltrated a Jewish settlement in Hermesh, on the West Bank, lastnight, wounding six people, including two children before being shot dead, Israeli security sources said.