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Fayyad to Relinquish Financial Control in Cabinet Re-Shuffle
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Palestinian sources are reporting that Prime Minister Salam Fayyad [pictured] will relinquish control of the Palestinian Authority’s finances in a cabinet re-shuffle. The finance ministry will be turned over to Nabil Qassis, a former president of Birzeit University and currently the head of the Yassir Arafat Foundation. According to the Ma’an news agency, Fayyad will stay on as prime minister and other cabinet changes will follow. While the removal of Fayyad has been the key demand of Hamas during reconciliation talks with Fatah, it remains to be seen how the new configuration will sit with Western governments whose willingness to contribute funding to the PA has been largely based upon trust and respect for Fayyad. Although the long-standing plans for creating a caretaker government to function until elections can be held were predicated on non-politically-aligned technocrats holding cabinet posts, the agency reported that the soon-to-be-unveiled government will include a mix that includes “Islamists and independents.” An official announcement is expected when PA President Mahmoud Abbas returns from a tour of North Africa.
Senior Israeli Defense Official: More Post-1967-area Building by Barak, Olmert
Speaking to the refusal by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table with Israel until all building on land Israel acquired in the 1967 war ceases, a senior Israeli defense official speaking on the condition of anonymity said on Monday that post-67 building was four-times greater in the Barak administration and twice as great in the Olmert administration than it is currently under Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Nevertheless, negotiations were not suspended. The post-67 building issue, which became Abbas’ red-line when Netanyahu came to office in 2009, has been the basis for the halt in bilateral talks and the rallying point for intense international criticism of the Israeli government. The Palestinians cite it as proof that Netanyahu is unwilling to pursue serious talks and the Israelis offer their own proof that Abbas is not serious by noting his refusal to return to the table while building was suspended for ten months in 2010.
Israeli Election Fever: New Poll Reiterates Netanyahu Strength; Mofaz Losses; Lapid Presence
The first Israeli poll to be issued since early elections became a virtual certainty underscores the strength of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu; the implosion of the Kadima party under its new leader Shaul Mofaz; the partial resurgence of the venerable Labor party; and the optimism surrounding the chances of first-timer Yair Lapid to impact the political landscape. Commissioned by the mass circulation Yediot Aharonot, the poll pegs Netanyahu’s Likud at 30 out of 120 parliamentary seats (compared to 27 at present). Kadima, though, the party Ariel Sharon created when he left Likud, turns up the big loser as it plunges from the 28 seats it holds now to 11, placing it behind Labor and on par with media personality-turned-politician Yair Lapid’s first-time effort. While polls have been consistent in results, the pressing speculation revolves around the question of whether Prime Minister Netanyahu will open his next administration to a broader representation, perhaps at the expense of some of his traditional right-wing support. Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who serves in the coalition as defense minister, is expected to reach some sort of agreement with Netanyahu to remain in his post, perhaps joining Likud. Barak quit as head of the Labor party and formed a new party that is not expected to meet the threshold for parliamentary seats.
Non-stop Syrian Bloodshed; 9 Family Members Dead in Mortar Attack
10 Syrian civilians died in a mortar attack in the province of Idlib on Tuesday morning -- including 9 from one family – while many others were injured, some critically. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the attack and said the level of violence continues to rise despite the presence of the first UN observers. More are expected to arrive by week’s end, but witnesses to the carnage express doubt that the increased UN presence will have any effect. Upon his arrival in Damascus on Monday, Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, the Norwegian head of the UN observer force, said, “Ten, thirty, three hundred or a thousand observers will not solve all problems.” The 13-month death toll stands at about 10,000 according to United Nations figures.
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