JERUSALEM, Nov 15 (AFP) - Israel is looking on anxiously at the unfolding struggle to fill the void left by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death, keen to assist moderate elements to ensure a peaceful transition of power.
Fears that Arafat's departure could trigger an outbreak of violence in the Palestinian territories were underlined Sunday when gunmen opened fire at a mourning tent in Gaza City soon after the arrival of the new head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Mahmud Abbas.
"This incident illustrates the battle which is going on for power," a source in Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office told AFP.
"Before the holding of elections, the first objective of the new leadership must be to disarm the gangs which are prevailing over this chaos and anarchy," he added on condition of anonymity.
Israel has been reluctant to back Abbas openly ahead of an election on January 9 to replace Arafat as Palestinian Authority (PA) president.
But Sharon would doubtless welcome the chance to renew his acquaintance with Abbas, whom he met on several occasions last year when the 69-year-old moderate was briefly Palestinian prime minister.
In contrast, Sharon shunned all contact with Arafat whom he branded as the principle obstacle to peace in the Middle East.
Education Minister Limor Livnat, one of the more hawkish members of Sharon's governing coalition, said Monday that Israel must do its bit to bolster Palestinian moderates, without specifically naming Abbas.
"It is in the upmost interests of Israel to help the moderate Palestinians to overcome this anarchy and to help them hold elections," she said.
Sharon has been criticised for his less than generous attitude towards Abbas last year when he agreed to only a very limited ceding of security control and the release of no more than several hundred of the estimated 7,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons.
Abbas' authority was seen to have been majorly undermined by his failure to wrest larger concessions and he was later forced to quit after a bruising power battle with Arafat.
This time, Israel is expected to come under heavy pressure from outside, especially from the United States, to assist the new look leadership.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has argued that Arab residents of east Jerusalem should not take part in the vote for PA leader as the final status of the disputed holy city has yet to be negotiated.
But the United States wants Israel to ensure that a maximum number of Palestinians take part in the vote, thus giving Arafat's successor the fullest possible legitimacy.
The source in Sharon's office indicated that the government was likely to allow Palestinians to participate in the election, possibly by repeating the compromise in the 1996 PA election, which saw east Jerusalem residents being allowed to vote via post offices rather than at polling booths.
Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz held out the prospect that a new moderate leadership could be invited to resume dialogue with the Israeli government.
"When there is a responsible and legitimate, elected Palestinian leadership equipped as a partner, Israel will be ready for dialogue, provided that this leadership fights terrorism," he said.
Shimon Peres, leader of the main opposition Labour party and a former negotiating partner of Abbas, acknowledged the scale of the task facing the Palestinians.
"The Palestinians are facing a double problem: acceding to democracy and independence ... It's difficult to have one without the other," he added.
Israeli commentators also emphasised that Abbas, who is also known as Abu Mazen, needed help from Sharon's government.
"Abu Mazen's task is extremely difficult. His success or failure will have a direct effect on us," said an editorial in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily.
"We must try to act with fewer tanks and helicopters, with fewer humiliating roadblocks that were unable to change the situation, perhaps only made it worse. Steps like these perhaps will lead to a different reality, which in the end will also help stabilize Abu Mazen's rule and Israel's security."
11/15/2004 14:17 GMT - AFP