Abbas is quickly getting a reputation for reform:

GAZA (Reuters) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fired three of his top security chiefs on Thursday after militants, puncturing a cease-fire he reached with Israel, bombarded Jewish settlements in Gaza with mortar rounds.

Israeli cabinet minister Ophir Pines praised Abbas for “an unprecedented step” in dismissing the three, members of Yasser Arafat’s old guard, in response to violence that flared after Tuesday’s summit in Egypt with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The United States, which has pledged renewed commitment to Middle East peacemaking after Abbas succeeded Arafat last month, also praised the dismissals.

“President Abbas has made clear his commitment to end violence and terror,” State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters in Washington. “This is a sign of his commitment and his determination to follow through.”

I like him. He isn’t making excuses or ignoring it like Arafat would have.