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PA's Abbas a "Liability" in Planning for Post-War Gaza, Arab Officials Say
(Times of Israel) Jacob Magid - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has become a "liability," contributing to reluctance from Arab leaders to fully cooperate with the Biden administration's strategy for a post-war Gaza, two Arab diplomats told the Times of Israel. The Arab diplomats expressed skepticism that the 87-year-old president, plagued by longstanding corruption allegations, is capable of reuniting the West Bank with Gaza under the PA. Both diplomats, representing separate countries, insisted that their reservations regarding the PA president are shared by other U.S. allies in the region and have been for some time. Former PA official and Abbas adviser Ghaith al-Omari, currently a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said, "The weakened state of the PA that we see today happened completely under Abbas' watch, and he is seen as a leader who is ineffective."