The scheduled meeting tonight between Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz and Muhammad Dahlan of the PA will take place as planned. It appeared several times during the day that the PA would postpone it until next week, due to the crisis and tensions within the Palestinian Authority, but in the end it will in fact take place.
The PA tensions include not only the well-known dispute between Arafat - with some Fatah leaders on his side - and Abu Mazen. A new row has now sprouted as well between Dahlan and Arafat. Arafat, who says that Dahlan has taken over the Interior Ministry, is trying to reduce the latter's authorities. Dahlan is said to have reorganized and unified the PA security organs into one police organization and one internal-security body.
Prime Minister Sharon and Defense Minister Mofaz have agreed to release a small number of terrorists belonging to Hamas, on condition that they did not actually take part in a terror attack. Only a few days ago, the Israeli Cabinet resolved not to release Hamas prisoners. The dispute between Arafat and Abu Mazen centers around the relatively small number of prisoners that Israel has agreed to release.
Egyptian Intelligence Chief Col. Omar Suleimon is scheduled to arrive in Ramallah today or tomorrow to try to resolve the simmering dispute between Arafat and Abu Mazen. It will be recalled that Abu Mazen submitted his resignation from the Fatah Central Committee on Tuesday, in protest of the strong criticism heaped upon him in his achievements thus far in the negotiations with Israel. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called Arafat yesterday, and asked him not to trip up Abu Mazen.