Ramallah, West Bank
The Palestinian parliament this week confirmed the Palestinians’ first prime minister, the key precondition for the introduction of a U.S.-backed Middle East peace plan. Mahmoud Abbas, known in the region as Abu Mazen, was appointed to the post by Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, who was under crushing international pressure to relinquish some of his power to someone who has no ties to terrorist groups. Arafat did succeed, though, in forcing Abu Mazen to accept some Arafat cronies in his Cabinet. At his swearing in, Abu Mazen said he rejected terrorism. “The choice is yours,” he said, addressing the Israeli government. “It’s either real peace without settlements or continuing occupation, suppression, and hatred and conflict.”
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