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No observer can ignore the remarkable victory achieved by Yasser Arafat, with his second to none steadfastness against the Israeli-American policy that aims to marginalise the veteran Palestinian leader.

Palestinian prime minister-designate Ahmed Qorei will announce his new cabinet on Wednesday following the approval of President Yasser Arafat and Fatah Central Committee.

Mohammed Al Hindi, a prominent Islamic Jihad leader in the Gaza Strip, believes a ceasefire agreement will not be reached between the Palestinians and Israel because the incoming prime minister, Ahmad Qorei, has no Israeli guarantees.

A Palestinian official said the United States will reconsider its stance on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat after it failed to sideline him.

Palestinian factions, including Hamas, are worried that confrontation with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) will be escalated with Nasser Youssef, a general who cracked down on Hamas when Gaza and the West Bank were handed to the Palestinians, appointed as interior minister.

In a new step to avoid Israeli attacks against its high-ranking members, Hamas has formed an alternative political leadership, which will not be disclosed to the public, sources told <i>Gulf News</i>.

The Palestinian resistance has different requirements this time for reaching a "Hudna" (ceasefire) with the Jewish state, according to Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, spiritual leader and founder of Hamas.