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West Bank Arms Itself in Run-Up to Succession War for Post-Abbas Era
(Middle East Eye-UK) Jihad Harb, who lives in Balata refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, sees three kinds of armed men in Balata: gunmen from Fatah, who are funded by and loyal to various leaders in the movement; gunmen from criminal gangs involved mostly in the drug and arms trades; and gunmen from the Palestinian Authority, funded by the security apparatus and local governors. The situation in Balata is being replicated in cities and villages across the West Bank. Harb believes senior Fatah leaders are buying the loyalty of gunmen and arming them in preparation for the expected succession conflict after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, 82, dies. "Some groups are loyal to more than one leader at the same time," said Harb, who is himself a Fatah activist. Recent armed clashes in Balata, Jenin, and al-Amari near Ramallah raised concerns among Palestinians who fear they are witnessing a dress-rehearsal for what will happen in the post-Abbas era. Most of Fatah's executive committee members believe they are eligible to succeed Abbas, but no one has a majority. Abbas has no deputy and no plans to groom a successor. "If President Abbas goes, Fatah leaders will fight each other," Harb said. "The worst is yet to come."