Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (right) listens to Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia (left) who has agreed in principle to take over as Prime Minister. However, it remained unclear if Israel would agree to deal with the new leader. Photo by AP
Palestinian parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia has agreed in principle to take over as Prime Minister, sources close to him said Monday, following the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas. However, it remained unclear if Israel would agree to deal with the new leader. Israeli state leaders have said they will not negotiate with any new government controlled or hand-picked by Arafat. They have not publicly commented on Qureia's nomination. Israeli officials have said privately they would have liked to see Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayad in the job.