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Arafat Moves to Block Unrest in West Bank

(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - Arafat, who is doing his utmost to prevent the rebellion from spreading to the West Bank, ordered his loyalists in Nablus to break up a meeting organized by Fatah operatives and local legislators to demand reforms. Gunmen belonging to the Fatah-affiliated Awdah Brigades stormed the conference hall, shooting into the air and forcing the participants to flee. The gunmen admitted they had been dispatched by Arafat's office. Arafat maintains direct phone contact with the leader of each Fatah militia in the cities of the West Bank and is well aware that he can rely on the majority of the gunmen roaming the streets to squash any move to undermine his power. Sources close to Arafat claim that Muhammad Dahlan has been offering large sums to young Fatah activists in Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm, Hebron, and Bethlehem to persuade them to join the anti-Arafat drive. While Dahlan remains popular among many Fatah activists in the Gaza Strip, his efforts to instigate anti-Arafat protests in the West Bank are likely to fail because he does not have any power base there.
2004-08-02 00:00:00
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