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Palestinian Politicians Try to Head Off a Power Struggle

(New York Times)Steven Erlanger - With Arafat near death, leading Palestinian politicians have moved rapidly to prevent a visible vacuum of power, reaching out to disaffected younger legislators, Palestinian militant organizations, and, quietly, the Israelis. But it is highly unlikely that any new, more collective leadership, even if it lasts, will have the ability or the authority to make important decisions about issues of war and peace for a long time to come, let alone take an openly aggressive role against Palestinian militants and terrorists. "There will be a sharpening of long knives, with groupings around personalities, not platforms," predicted Zakaria al-Qaq, co-director of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information.
2004-11-08 00:00:00
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