31.   Earlier, Ahmed Qureia, speaker of the Palestinian parliament, praised Bush for urging an end to the Israeli offensive.

32.   Hanan Ashrawi, a legislator in the Palestinian parliament, said the three-month break gives Barak a chance to move more decisively in the peace negotiations.

33.   He has maneuvered the Palestinian parliament into a subordinate role.

34.   He predicted the new Palestinian parliament will be strong enough to challenge Arafat.

35.   However, Ahmed Quriea, the speaker of the Palestinian parliament, said Barak will have to do more than that to influence the decision.

36.   However, officials privately admit it is the future Palestinian parliament.

37.   In an interview Sunday in the official Palestinian Authority newspaper, the speaker of the Palestinian parliament expressed distrust of Israeli plans for Jerusalem.

38.   In a speech to the opening of a new session of the Palestinian parliament on Saturday, Arafat blamed Israel for the breakdown of the peace process.

39.   Israel had wanted to keep the size of the council small, saying a bigger assembly would become a de facto Palestinian parliament, an attribute of statehood.

40.   Israel wanted to keep the council small, saying a bigger assembly would become a de facto Palestinian parliament, an attribute of statehood.