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Talk Grows about Who Will Succeed Palestinians' Fading Mahmoud Abbas
(New York Times) Steven Erlanger - The past five months of Palestinian attacks on Israeli Jews have undermined the already weak political position of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, who rules ineffectively over a divided people and failing institutions. Talk of who will replace Abbas, 81, and when, has surged. Abbas might go sooner rather than later, said a former Palestinian negotiator. Facing this new wave of violence, Abbas is typically paralyzed. "He can neither support it nor oppose it," he explained, "so he shuts up and does nothing." "Abu Mazen [Abbas] is like a tree in the wind, with leaves blowing off everywhere," said a former aide. "He thinks everyone is listening to him, but no one is listening anymore."