MIDDLE EAST: In the latest round of a continuing feud with the Palestinian Authority President, Mr Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mr Mahmoud Abbas, yesterday asked parliament to support him or remove him from his post.
But he stopped short of demanding a vote of confidence in his government, which would likely have led to him being ousted.
The Israeli government, meanwhile, announced yesterday it planned to build 102 new apartments in a West Bank settlement, despite the fact that the road-map peace plan calls for a settlement freeze.
Delivering a report to the Palestinian Legislative Council on the performance of his government in its first 100 days, Mr Abbas said: "I am not attached to this post and I will not make any effort to keep this post. It is a difficult mission that many describe as impossible."
He told the 83-member parliament, which met in Ramallah, that he needed additional powers if he was to make progress on the diplomatic track.
The Prime Minister wants Mr Arafat to relinquish control over the security forces still under his command, but the Palestinian leader is loath to accede, fearing it will erode his power.
With the armed forces under a single command, that of Mr Abbas, he would have a better chance of dealing with militant groups like Hamas.
He told legislators: "Without a legitimate force in the hands of one authority . . . we will not advance one step on the political track."
But the Prime Minister repeated his refusal to order a crackdown on militants.
The Palestinian Legislative Council is set to meet again tomorrow to discuss Mr Abbas's 100-days report. While some members of the pro-Arafat legislature have called for a vote of no confidence, there is no guarantee one will be held in the coming days.
Mr Arafat has successfully subverted Mr Abbas, whom he appointed earlier this year to his post under international pressure, but he cannot ignore American warnings that if the Palestinian Prime Minister is deposed, the US will withdraw its backing for the road map.
Some 200 members of Mr Arafat's Fatah party demonstrated against Mr Abbas outside the parliament, chanting slogans accusing him of being a "collaborator" with the US.
A group of armed men belonging to the Fatah-associated Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade broke one of the doors leading into the parliament building and smashed windows, before being removed from the area by Palestinian security forces.
In his address, Mr Abbas criticised the US for refusing to have contact with Mr Arafat and blamed Israel for the lack of diplomatic progress and the collapse of the ceasefire declared by militant groups.
He has been unable to extract significant concessions from his Israeli counterpart, Mr Ariel Sharon.