Danny Rubinstein

A violent struggle against the militant group at this stage may lead to real civilian insurgence.

PA leaders expect Israel to release Barghouti from jail; he could play key role in truce talks.

Palestinian sources said last night that the intensive discussions for a cease-fire that are under way with Egyptian mediation will not be able to reach a written agreement, but that the sides will probably have to make do with verbal agreements that will be binding.

It's clear that the truce talks that really matter are those between the PA and Hamas.

Yesterday Palestinian spokesmen sounded somewhat optimistic about the chances of coming to some sort of security agreement with Israel - when it is clear to everyone that the necessary condition for such an arrangement is understandings between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas concerning the cessation or a truce (hudna) in the terror attacks.

If talks with Hamas succeed, Mahmoud Abbas will have killed two birds with one stone - renewal of the political process and legitimization of his role

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) today will demand from his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon to implement the road map immediately without any further changes or excuses and without deviating from the plan's time-frame (which is already somewhat behind schedule).

The fact that Israel agrees in principle to the diplomatic plan of the road map could definitely be considered a step forward - but this is nothing to get excited about. This, in any case, is the Palestinian position.

The many research studies of suicide terrorism have difficulty dealing with the phenomenon, and the same is true for security services around the world. Nearly 50 suicide bombers have blown themselves up in recent days.

What has led to the current wave of suicide bombings? Are they organized actions from above? Palestinian sources said yesterday they believed the outbreak was not coincidental.

Abu Mazen is trying to renew talks with Hamas as quickly as possible, to achieve a full cease-fire for a period of a full year. Abu Mazen believes he can get Hamas to agree to a cease-fire in response to an Israeli undertaking to stop its raids and targetted killings.

The list of demands raised by Palestinian Prime Minster Mahmoud Abbas in his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, included all the familiar items: an end to the Israeli raids and assassinations, prisoner releases, settlement freezes, and an Israeli withdrawal from areas that used to be in Palestinian control.

She's not a political personality, she says, but her cartoons express a tough Palestinian political stance. Although Oumaiya Joha has been sketching for only four years, her reputation is already established throughout the Arab world

The Palestinian delegation, led by Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), was deeply disappointed by a meeting yesterday with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

On Thursday the Palestinians will mark Nakba Day, May 15th, when British rule ended and Israeli rule began in 1948. On June 5, they mark the start of the 1967 Six- Day War, when the rest of the country fell into the hands of the Jewish state.

The Palestinian Authority chairman is willing to swallow a share of humiliation now, because he assumes Abu Mazen will fail when Israel refuses to carry out its part of the road map. Then, Arafat believes, the U.S. will have to beat a path back to his doorstep.

The session of the Palestinian Legislative Council yesterday, which gave the government of Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) an impressive 51-to-18 vote of confidence, was marked by flowery and excited oratory.

The power struggle between Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) can be regarded as another stage in the democratization of Palestinian political life. There was no violence between the two competing for positions of power.

An East Jerusalem journalist, asked last night who won, replied: "Neither Arafat nor Abu Mazen. The Americans won."

When asked Wednesday night who had been victorious in the power struggle between PA Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister-designate Abu Mazen over the new Palestinian cabinet, an East Jerusalem journalist replied, 'Neither Arafat nor Abu Mazen. The Americans won.'