Palestinian group protests firing of leader

RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- A delegation of senior Palestinian security officers planned to try to meet Saturday with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to protest his firing of a top security official.

The delegation members, who claim to represent the hundreds of members of Arafat's Preventive Security Service, planned to ask him to reinstate Jabril Rajoub as director of the service on the West Bank.

They said they do not want to work with Rajoub's replacement, Zuhair al-Manasreh, governor of Jenin.

Until a few days ago, Rajoub was seen by many as Arafat's right-hand man, with a reputation as a moderate who could deal with the Israelis and the Americans.

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"I tried during the last eight years to be honest, to be fair, with everyone. I never deceived anybody," he said.

Rajoub's dismissal came as Arafat is facing increasing pressure from the United States and Israel to do more to reform his security service and to get them to crack down harder on terrorists. Palestinians have said the Israeli military has crushed their security network, making it tough to round up the suspects Israel wants.

Arafat's standing began to crumble in April, when the Israelis demolished his headquarters in Ramallah, a sign that they believed he had not done enough to stop terrorist attacks.

Rajoub has said he will not accept any other position with the Palestinian Authority, though he said he has been offered many.

Asked whether he will remain personally loyal to Arafat, Rajoub said: "I was and will remain loyal to the Palestinian cause, to the Palestinian institution which is now headed by Mr. Arafat."

Shortly before word of the dismissal spread, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told CNN that representatives of the United States, United Nations, Russia and the European Union had completed a meeting in London on Palestinian security.

Powell said the meeting was to "help the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leaders begin to put in place a more effective security structure to keep the violence under control."

Powell also said the United States believes Arafat could be facing a challenge from within the Palestinian Authority.

"There are these fissures within the Palestinian leadership that suggest maybe people are starting to realize where are we getting with the current leadership that we have, and perhaps we should consider new leaders," Powell said.