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Power Vacuum Expected Upon Arafat's Death

(USA Today)Paul Wiseman - The bosses of Palestinian militias and factions across the political spectrum met inside the PA offices in Gaza City on how to maintain order and unity in Arafat's absence, but the transition to the post-Arafat era is unlikely to be smooth. "It's like a festival," says teacher Hosam Ziada, 37, a cynical observer of the gathering. "Everybody has to show himself. They are making a meeting, but everyone hates the others. So they have their gangs outside." Dan Schueftan, senior fellow at the National Security Studies Center at Israel's University of Haifa, says the niceties of electoral politics have little meaning in the Palestinian territories, where armed gangs often settle disputes with gunplay.
2004-11-08 00:00:00
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