Palestinian cabinet in disarray

Qurei (right): Regarded as Arafat loyalist

A session of the Palestinian parliament has been postponed indefinitely because of arguments about the new emergency cabinet of Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei.

Angry at not being consulted about its formation, some members had warned they would not support the cabinet in a planned vote of confidence.

Later, at a closed-door meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat which has been described as stormy, Mr Qurei threatened to quit the post he was nominated to only a month ago, Palestinian sources said.

They said he had told Mr Arafat angrily "I want you to relieve me of this job", before leaving his compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

This is news to me, I cannot confirm this under any circumstances Saeb Erekat

Sources close to Mr Qurei say he was angered by Mr Arafat's attempts to "interfere" over security issues.

Mr Qurei's predecessor, Mahmoud Abbas, resigned following a power struggle with Mr Arafat.

The BBC's James Reynolds in Ramallah says no one is sure whether Mr Qurei's parting words amount to a formal threat to resign or whether they are just words of frustration at the end of a disappointing day.

However, there is no indication that Mr Qurei has formally tendered his resignation in writing.

Elsewhere in the West Bank on Thursday, a suicide bombing at an Israeli army checkpoint near the town of Tulkarm left two Israeli soldiers injured, as well as a Palestinian.

The bomber walked up to an office where Palestinians apply for humanitarian permits to cross roadblocks and blew himself up, the army was quoted as saying.

Emergency decree

The cabinet's formation was announced on Sunday, as the Palestinian leadership declared a state of emergency in the wake of a suicide bombing in northern Israel.

Members of parliament had been waiting for an hour for Thursday's session to begin when the postponement was announced, according to the Associated Press.

Acting speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Ibrahim Abu al-Naja, said no new date had been set for the Palestinian Authority to present its cabinet.

EMERGENCY CABINET Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath Finance Minister Salam Fayad Interior Minister Nasser Yousef Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat Education Minister Nabil Abul Hummus Local Affairs Minister Jamal Shobaki Jawad Tibi and Abdel Rahman Hamad (positions not given) Analysis: Bleak prospects

Members were angry that the Palestinian leader had tried to bypass them by using an emergency decree, and its composition and size were also bitterly disputed.

They warned that they would not support Mr Qurei's cabinet of eight in any vote of confidence presented by the Palestinian Authority.

"There are two schools of thought," prominent MP Hanan Ashrawi told the French news agency AFP.

"First, that this cabinet is part of the state of emergency and so therefore no vote of confidence is needed. But others do not approve of the state of emergency and believe it should be a regular government which requires parliamentary approval," she said.

The session in the West Bank town of Ramallah had also been expected to hear Mr Qurei outline plans to relaunch peace efforts and prepare for new elections.

Cabinet member Saeb Erekat said he hoped that the "internal complexities and dynamics" that led to the postponement of the session "will be handled and we can deal with it so we can convene as soon as possible to present the cabinet for a confidence vote."

Mr Qurei - also known as Abu Ala - is regarded as a loyal ally of Mr Arafat, and was one of the architects of the Oslo peace accords signed with Israel in 1993, which led to limited Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.