MIDDLE EAST: Mr Mahmoud Abbas threatened to quit so often during his four months as Palestinian Prime Minister that, when he finally dispatched a resignation letter to President Mr Yasser Arafat at the weekend, it was widely assumed to be a tactical move to strengthen his hand and hang on to power.
Yesterday Mr Abbas, who is more popularly known as Abu Mazen, offered contradictory signals, by insisting his resignation was final while keeping open the possibility of return by saying any such talk is "premature".
But the prime minister's allies privately say that, while they believe the decision is not set in stone, his critics have misjudged his motivation for quitting. They describe Mr Abbas as embittered, believing he has been lied to by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, betrayed by the Americans and been the victim of a scurrilous campaign by Mr Arafat to demonise him among the Palestinian public as a collaborator.
The day before Mr Abbas's resignation, Mr Arafat publicly ridiculed him by comparing him to Afghan President Mr Hamid Karzai, who is widely seen by Arabs as little more than a US puppet.
Israel said the "entire blame" for the crisis lies with Mr Arafat for blocking his prime minister from meeting his commitments under the now-dormant, possibly defunct, US-led "road map" to a Palestinian state within three years.
But Mr Abbas apportioned blame all round in a private session of parliament on Saturday.
A statement from his office said that he told MPs that "the fundamental problem is Israel's unwillingness to implement its road map commitments and to undertake any constructive measures".
"The US (and the international community) did not exert sufficient influence on Israel to implement its commitments in the road map to push the peace process forward, or to end its military escalation."
Mr Abbas was also scathing about Mr Arafat and his allies. He accused them of "harsh and dangerous domestic incitement against the government and the obstruction of its functions".
It might have been different. The Palestinian public looked to Abu Mazen for two things: internal political reform, particularly the curbing of corruption and abuse of power by Mr Arafat's cronies, and a settlement with Israel that would give the Palestinians their own country on equitable terms.
The prime minister has no shortage of admirers on the first count. He is generally viewed as clean and honest.
His finance minister won unusual joint praise from the Palestinian public and the Israeli government for ensuring public funds generally went where they should.
One Fatah MP, Ahmad Al-Batsch, said Mr Abbas won the public's confidence with his reform programme but that was shattered by the failure of the road map to deliver benefits for the Palestinian people.
- (Guardian Service)