Middle East: The Palestinian leadership convened yesterday at the presidential compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah, while 13 Palestinian militant groups met in Gaza City.
The aim of both sets of leaders, including representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, was to project national unity during the most perilous period faced by the Palestinian national movement.
The solid front formed after the President, Mr Yasser Arafat, left for France for medical treatment cracked on Thursday when rival factions staged a shootout in Gaza. But police promptly halted the violence and other groups did not join the exchange.
"No group or individual dares to be accused of undermining unity at this time," said Dr Ziad Abu Amer, of the Palestinian Legislative Council for the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Mr Ahmad Korei is expected in Gaza today to continue discussions with militants which began on Thursday.
As the Palestinian leadership discussed the future, the row with Israel sharpened over where Mr Arafat would be buried. In the first public comment on the matter by a cabinet member, Justice Minister Mr Joseph Lapid said the Palestinian leader "will not be buried in Jerusalem, because Jerusalem is a city where Jews bury their kings. It's not a city where we want to bury an Arab terrorist, a mass murderer".
A Palestinian cabinet minister said that were Israel to make a gesture on the burial site, it could provide a new start for relations. Mr Qadura Fares said Israel had "the chance to make far-reaching gestures" over the burial. "I think that how the Israeli leaders act . . . Palestinians will take notice." Israel is determined Mr Arafat's last resting place should be in his family's plot in the Gaza Strip.
Mr Arafat's removal from the political scene has left the Palestinians leaderless. The two men who have been gradually assuming his powers, Mr Korei, and Mr Mahmoud Abbas, the deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and of the Fatah movement, do not command the affection and respect of most Palestinians. The majority would like to see an entirely new leadership emerge, and the Palestinian Authority reconstituted.
Dr Samir Abdullah, head of an economic thinktank based in Ramallah, said the "old leadership" focused on liberation rather than state-building. Consequently, the system of governance these leaders created did not "give the Palestinians what they wanted: good, transparent, accountable government".
In spite of the failure of the leadership to deliver, no young politicians have emerged to challenge the veterans and the political ambitions of Mr Arafat's favourites threaten disruption and destabilisation.
Mr Muhammad Dahlan, former head of preventive security in Gaza, has been blamed for recent attacks in the Strip on policemen and supporters of Mr Arafat.
An authoritative source said Mr Dahlan can count on officers in the security agencies, and has successfully courted leading Gaza families, dissident members of Fatah, and the Islamic Hamas movement. Mr Dahlan "also has the backing of the US, Egypt and Israel. They would like to see him take over in Gaza following an Israeli withdrawal".
One of his rivals, Mr Jamil Rahjoub, the national security adviser, has the support of powerful factions in the West Bank where he served as head of preventive security.