Excerpts from Ha'aretz' report on a speech given by Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Abu Mazen to Palestinian legislators on Tuesday

[Abu Mazen said] that there was no military solution to the Palestinians' conflict with Israel and rejected terrorism, pledging to control militant groups and confiscate illegal weapons.

"There is no place for weapons expect in the hands of the government," said Abu Mazen, who has opposed militant violence during the 31-month-old intifada. "There is only one authority."

However, Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad said on Tuesday they would not give up their weapons.

"Of course we will not (disarm)," said Abdel Aziz Rantissi, a top Hamas official.

UPDATE Well that didn't take long. Only a few hours after the Palestinian "legislature" confirmed Abu Mazen as Prime Minister, there was a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. Not that this sort of thing wasn't to be expected. But it can only be interpreted as a direct challenge to Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority's authority. Unless the PA takes immediate and severe measures against whoever did this (and it's hard to imagine that they will), one would have to wonder why the US wouldn't give Israel its blessing to obliterate the PA altogether.