Council Deals Arafat a Blow by Forcing Cabinet to Quit
Confronted by demands for democratic change from a newly defiant legislature, Yasir Arafat was compelled today to accept the resignation of his entire cabinet.

The dramatic retreat by a leader who has in the past treated the Palestinian Legislative Council largely with disdain followed two days of animated debate, in which the 72 deputies present resisted every maneuver and appeal by Mr. Arafat's lieutenants and made clear that they were determined to vote no-confidence in his cabinet.

When it became clear that a vote could not be avoided, Mr. Arafat's representative in the council, Tayeb Abdul Rahim, rose and announced that out of "deep respect for the legislative branch and the decisions it has taken," the cabinet had submitted its resignation, and Mr. Arafat accepted it. The council broke into sustained applause.

The deputies, a majority of them from Mr. Arafat's own Fatah movement, declared the session a triumph for the democracy and openness that the United States and other foreign governments have been demanding of the Palestinians. The defeat was also striking evidence of the erosion of Mr. Arafat's once-unquestioned political power.

But it was far from clear that the exercise in democracy was what the Bush administration or Israel had intended. The ousted cabinet, installed by Mr. Arafat in June, included ministers — most notably Interior Minister Abdel Razak Yehiyeh — who had been named by Mr. Arafat as a result of Israeli and American pressure.

The legislators also forced Mr. Arafat to set presidential and parliamentary elections for Jan. 20, though the Bush administration had hoped to push the balloting back so more amenable leaders would have time to come to the fore.

"This is a message also to the Americans and Europeans," said Salah Taamari, a deputy from Bethlehem who was among the leaders of the fight for change. "If they are really sincere in their call for reform, they should make Israel allow the Palestinian Legislative Council to meet and function."

However satisfying their victory, the deputies were constantly reminded that they were still functioning under the iron grip of Israel, which had the final word on what powers they would be allowed to exercise. The session was held in two venues, Ramallah and Gaza, linked by video, because Israel had not permitted several Gaza deputies to travel. Ramallah was still under nighttime curfew.

Midway through the session, the speaker announced that the Israeli cabinet had decided to "annex" Rachel's Tomb, a holy site near Bethlehem.

In fact, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had proposed to include the site in the area to be enclosed by a wall that officials are considering building around Jerusalem. But the news still served as a reminder that the Israeli military operations in the West Bank and Gaza were far from finished.…
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/12/international/middleeast/12MIDE.html