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Source: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/293636.html
Arafat Strengthens Grip on PA
(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel- Israeli security sources believe that Yasser Arafat is strengthening his hold on the Palestinian Authority. In the past weeks, Arafat is re-emerging as the one holding the purse strings. His bureau is allocating funds to various entities, from Fatah activists in Bethlehem through PA ministers to security groups in Jenin. Arafat still handles requests for funding the security organizations and instructs Finance Minister Salam Fayyad to transfer the money. Military intelligence and the Shin Bet are in accord that Abu Mazen is showing weakness in the face of Arafat's maneuvers. "Abu Mazen won no victory over Arafat," an Israeli security source says. "He formed a cabinet only under Egyptian and American pressure. The cabinet's legitimacy is shaky and it acts in Arafat's shadow."