PLO chieftain Yasser Arafat has appointed, over the past few days, dozens of senior clerks and officials throughout the PA administration, thus intensifying the crisis of faith between him and his prime ministerial-appointee, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Arafat began yelling and cursing at Mohammed Dahlan, an Abu Mazen-appointee in the new PA government, when he learned that Dahlan had taken a measure of control of the PA's Interior department.
A senior PA official told Itim News Agency that Arafat is attempting to amass more power and support within the PA. The source said that more than 58 Fatah members from all over the PA-controlled areas have been appointed to senior positions, mainly in the department responsible for Interior matters - which boasts 22,000 employees. Fifteen Arafat-appointees have joined the Shechem office, where the opposition to Arafat until now has been relatively strong.
The PA source also said that Arafat has intervened directly in the Abu Mazen government, by promoting Abdel Aziz Sharia - who is responsible for "appointments" in the PA - to a position equivalent to that of government minister. Sharia is known to have been involved in many scandals and much corruption over the past seven years, and PA public opinion is against him. Arafat similarly promoted his chief office manager, Ramzi Hori, to a ministerial rank, drawing the ire of Abu Mazen and his men. The latter say that Arafat's moves are against the new "Palestinian constitution."
A senior PA official told Itim News Agency that Arafat is attempting to amass more power and support within the PA. The source said that more than 58 Fatah members from all over the PA-controlled areas have been appointed to senior positions, mainly in the department responsible for Interior matters - which boasts 22,000 employees. Fifteen Arafat-appointees have joined the Shechem office, where the opposition to Arafat until now has been relatively strong.
The PA source also said that Arafat has intervened directly in the Abu Mazen government, by promoting Abdel Aziz Sharia - who is responsible for "appointments" in the PA - to a position equivalent to that of government minister. Sharia is known to have been involved in many scandals and much corruption over the past seven years, and PA public opinion is against him. Arafat similarly promoted his chief office manager, Ramzi Hori, to a ministerial rank, drawing the ire of Abu Mazen and his men. The latter say that Arafat's moves are against the new "Palestinian constitution."