Gaza turmoil worries Israeli press

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's reshuffle of security forces in the Gaza Strip and the resultant political crisis is viewed warily by Israeli papers.

There are fears that Israel could be blamed in the event of the Palestinian Authority (PA) collapsing, and differing views on how it should react to the current situation.

Many see the chaos as the result of Palestinian factions jostling for power ahead of the planned Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. And one paper voices top Israeli politicians' concerns over a possible early exit by Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei.

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A fascinating competition is emerging before our eyes between two processes: Sharon's "disengagement" against Yasser Arafat's "disintegration".

Commentator Ben Kaspit in Ma'ariv

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Israel could be held responsible for Palestinian-on-Palestinian violence, with the argument that Israel brought about the collapse of the Palestinian Authority. That being the case, chaos, anarchy and violence among Palestinians in Gaza could indeed weaken Arafat, but it could also place Israel in yet another acute diplomatic situation.

Commentator Herb Keinon in Jerusalem Post

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Ariel Sharon's great dream is coming true before our very eyes - the Palestinian Authority is losing what is left of its authority.

[But] whoever deludes himself into thinking that Israel will not be blamed for the Palestinian anarchy is wrong. In the eyes of the world, Gaza is a prison and Israel is the jailer holding the keys. It cannot throw away the keys and forget what is happening there.

Commentator Nahum Barnea in Yediot Aharonot

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Israel would do well to sit quietly and stay out of domestic Palestinian affairs; not to embrace and not to insult, but to watch how this process will be decided from the sidelines.

Yediot Aharonot

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The power struggle in Gaza is mostly within Fatah, between leading figures who make use of loyal groups of thugs that have become increasingly powerful as a result of the weakened central authority.

Commentator Danny Rubinstein in Ha'aretz

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The weekend's show of chaos... should be seen as a trailer for how the Palestinian territories will look the day after Arafat. Fatah, shattered, quarrelling within itself, will collapse in a process of violent power struggle. Every local leader, together with his ally and the gangs loyal to him, will stop at nothing to strengthen himself at the expense of the others.

Commentator Amit Cohen in Ma'ariv

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The instability in the PA strengthens the prime minister's conviction that the disengagement plan must be executed as soon as possible. Once again it has been proved that there is nobody to talk to and nothing to talk about.

Sources in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's bureau quoted in Yediot Aharonot

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Had Arafat not been here, we could have talked with Abu Ala [Ahmed Qurei] and reached an agreement that would have been acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians.

Justice Minister Tommy Lapid quoted in Yediot Aharonot

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Small wonder that Arafat turned down Abu Ala's resignation letter. After all, Abu Ala effectively hinted to Arafat that he is the one who ought to resign because he bears overall responsibility for the anarchy in the PA.

Ofir Pines, head of the opposition Labour Party quoted in Yediot Aharonot

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.