A recent Jordan Times editorial analyzes the new prime ministerial post in the Palestinian Authority and concludes by saying, ?Reforms within the Palestinian ranks must be real. Otherwise they will serve only as window dressing for maintaining the status quo.?
The editorial, entitled ?Reforming the Ranks?, cautiously greets the announcement by the PLO leader Yasser Arafat that he selected Abu Abbas as his prime minister. ?The creation of the post of prime minister by the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Central Council is one thing, but ensuring its full functionality is another,? the Jordan Times says, ?With the PLO council approval of the appointment of Mahmoud Abbas as the first premier, the question is what powers and authority will he enjoy once he takes office.?
According to the newspaper, the reforms in the PA leadership structure will need to include real power-sharing not just to please the West, but the demand for such reform ?has become the hallmark of Palestinians' demands to put their political system on a more solid and stable footing.? The main areas requiring power-sharing, the Jordanian editorial says, are ?control over finances, security and negotiations with Israel. It goes without saying that whoever controls the Palestinian purse can control how the domestic, regional and international politics of the PNA are conducted and administered.?
The Jordan Times delineates what it sees as Abu Mazen?s top priorities in his new prime ministerial position, should Arafat allow him to exercise real power: ?the effective reconciliation of all the Palestinian factions... to proceed with common goals and policies.... [and the] elimination of corruption....? As for the latter issue, the Jordanian newspaper notes that ?[a]s long as there is an Arab and international perception that graft permeates Palestinian economic affairs, international and Arab donor countries will remain skeptical of the legitimacy of their financial support to the Palestinians.? The newspaper also notes the relationship between the battle with Israel and the Arab-Israeli diplomatic process, saying, ?The security dimension is also critical for as long as some Palestinian factions continue to wage their own individual battles against Israel, the PNA's own negotiating powers will be compromised.?
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Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.
The editorial, entitled ?Reforming the Ranks?, cautiously greets the announcement by the PLO leader Yasser Arafat that he selected Abu Abbas as his prime minister. ?The creation of the post of prime minister by the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Central Council is one thing, but ensuring its full functionality is another,? the Jordan Times says, ?With the PLO council approval of the appointment of Mahmoud Abbas as the first premier, the question is what powers and authority will he enjoy once he takes office.?
According to the newspaper, the reforms in the PA leadership structure will need to include real power-sharing not just to please the West, but the demand for such reform ?has become the hallmark of Palestinians' demands to put their political system on a more solid and stable footing.? The main areas requiring power-sharing, the Jordanian editorial says, are ?control over finances, security and negotiations with Israel. It goes without saying that whoever controls the Palestinian purse can control how the domestic, regional and international politics of the PNA are conducted and administered.?
The Jordan Times delineates what it sees as Abu Mazen?s top priorities in his new prime ministerial position, should Arafat allow him to exercise real power: ?the effective reconciliation of all the Palestinian factions... to proceed with common goals and policies.... [and the] elimination of corruption....? As for the latter issue, the Jordanian newspaper notes that ?[a]s long as there is an Arab and international perception that graft permeates Palestinian economic affairs, international and Arab donor countries will remain skeptical of the legitimacy of their financial support to the Palestinians.? The newspaper also notes the relationship between the battle with Israel and the Arab-Israeli diplomatic process, saying, ?The security dimension is also critical for as long as some Palestinian factions continue to wage their own individual battles against Israel, the PNA's own negotiating powers will be compromised.?
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Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.