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The Decline of Fatah
(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - A Palestinian source close to the leadership recently told an Israeli military official that the wife of one of the senior Palestinian ministers had made sure to send the family's two dogs to Paris, a few months ago, by plane. The dogs were treated by a French veterinary surgeon and the bill was picked up by the Palestinian treasury - that same treasury that has difficulty paying government salaries every month, the source said. The Palestinian source told the story to illustrate the man in the street's anger at the leadership which, he said, is cut off from the daily plight of the people. IDF analysts have discerned a waning of influence of the Fatah leadership in the territories, which one intelligence officer described as "bordering on disintegration." The various military wings of the organization (the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the Abu-Rish faction, and the popular committees) have all begun acting independently and basing themselves on local forces.