IDF Intelligence Chief Gen. Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash sees the recent developments in the Palestinian Authority as a "no-confidence vote in Arafat" - but others are not so sure. At issue is last night's resignation by Arafat's entire cabinet after the members saw that they were about to be voted out by the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Middle Eastern expert Prof. Moshe Sharon feels that it was not a major blow to Arafat:
"What happened there yesterday was just a show for us and for the U.S., to portray the PA as if it were a democratic regime. Arafat is still in power, he's still the only one who gives the orders, and nothing has changed. All his talk of elections, too, is all a fake, and we should not once again fall in this trap of deceit. Too many people in the PA have business dealings with Arafat, and receive money from him, for anything to change... The concepts of parliament, democracy, elections, and the like are all taken from the Western lexicon, but have nothing to do with the Moslem and Arab world… Elections in Syria, for instance, had 96% supporting one person. In the Arab world, regime is based on one person forcing subservience from the others… It's total nonsense to say that this is the beginning of the end of Arafat's rule."
Middle Eastern expert Prof. Moshe Sharon feels that it was not a major blow to Arafat:
"What happened there yesterday was just a show for us and for the U.S., to portray the PA as if it were a democratic regime. Arafat is still in power, he's still the only one who gives the orders, and nothing has changed. All his talk of elections, too, is all a fake, and we should not once again fall in this trap of deceit. Too many people in the PA have business dealings with Arafat, and receive money from him, for anything to change... The concepts of parliament, democracy, elections, and the like are all taken from the Western lexicon, but have nothing to do with the Moslem and Arab world… Elections in Syria, for instance, had 96% supporting one person. In the Arab world, regime is based on one person forcing subservience from the others… It's total nonsense to say that this is the beginning of the end of Arafat's rule."