Welcome Instability

There was a new kind of instability in Palestine today: Arafat's once-stranglehold on the Palestinian Authority is now only a weak and perhaps slipping grip. The Post reports that Arafat was forced to accept the resignation of his entire cabinet under pressure from the legislature. Hopefully this showdown and the resulting power shift will give candidates other than Arafat a chance in the scheduled presidential elections, and force Arafat to clean house a bit. On the other hand, it could just mean that Arafat will spend a little more money and buy more support, entrenching rather than purging the rampant corruption. Nonetheless, "'this is a positive step toward the division of authority and the rule of law'", in the words of a Bethlehem legislator.

"Arafat hasn't been subjected to this degree of accountability before," said George Giacaman, general director of the Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy, located in the West Bank city of Ramallah. "This is an important precedent. Their main message is that they're seeking reform and they will not be willing to simply rubber-stamp any cabinet."

"I hope today will be viewed as a landmark in Palestinian people's history," said Saeb Erekat, Arafat's minister of local government until this afternoon. "The Palestinian people have chosen democracy, accountability and transparency." Always the statesman, Erekat stands by his government even as it kicks him out. A reasonable, urbane accomodationist, he's been a U.S. and Israeli favorite to negotiate with. He's too compromised and uncharismatic to stand a chance in a presidential election, but I certainly hope he doesn't fade from the Palestinian scene.

Coming soon: Will the Israelis allow the elections to be held??