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The Palestinian Legislative Council ( PLC) has decided to postpone voting on a no-confidence motion against the cabinet upon a request of President Mahmoud Abbas, a move that analysts say will not mitigate a heated wrestling between parliament and Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei.
Lawmakers agreed to delay the voting on Tuesday's session after discussing a letter by Abbas calling for a postponement of the voting for 10 days till he returns home after a visit to Washington due on Thursday.
But sources said the majority of lawmakers were determined to vote in favor of the no-confidence motion despite the delay, which would topple Qurei and introduce an interim cabinet.
Suleiman al-Astal, Palestinian observer specialized in parliamentary affairs, said it seemed that powers in the parliament had united against Qurei and wanted to kick him out of the Palestinian National Authority.
"It is a very difficult time for Prime Minister Qurei. It is a to-be-or-not-to-be moment," said al-Astal.
On Oct. 3, the parliament asked Abbas to dissolve Qurei's cabinet, accusing it of failing to curb rampaging chaos in the Palestinian territories.
The legislature called upon Abbas to form a new cabinet or carry out a reshuffle within two weeks or face a no-confidence vote.
Local media reports then said Qurei had tried to reach a secret deal with the PLC, under which he would sack Interior Minister Nasser Youssef in exchange for the parliament's scrapping of the no-confidence motion.
However, Palestinian cabinet Secretary General Samir Hleila immediately denied such a deal.
As the two-week consultation period ran out, Qurei said his cabinet would remain intact till the Jan. 25 parliamentary elections, when cabinet members including himself who intend to bid in the race quit the government.
Under the Palestinian law, legislators can not take government posts at the same time.
"Qurei's defiance has apparently irritated the parliament, which has taken a more serious attitude in ousting him," al-Astal said.
"It is only a question of time that the legislature votes on the key no-confidence motion despite Abbas' last-minute effort to put it off," he added.
The parliament has decided to proceed the voting on Oct. 26 session.
Sources revealed that if the motion is passed, a new caretaker government will be formed, which will be headed by a new prime minister and comprise members with no intention to run in the parliamentary elections.
The interim cabinet will lead the Palestinians for three months till the end of the legislative elections.
Qurei, also known as Abu Ala, became prime minister in 2003 when his predecessor and now-President Abbas resigned after losing a power struggle with late leader Yasser Arafat.
A veteran loyalist to Arafat, Qurei has long faced criticism from lawmakers for too few concrete steps toward reforms.
(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2005)
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