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PLO: Battle for Succession Has Begun

(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations have served as a catalyst for increased calls by senior PLO and Fatah officials to start planning for the day after Mahmoud Abbas' departure from the scene. Like his predecessor Yasser Arafat, Abbas, 78, has been running the PA in an autocratic fashion since his election as president in January 2005. Many senior members of the PLO and Fatah receive from Abbas tens of thousands of dollars every month for office rentals and vehicles, as well as salaries for their secretaries and henchmen. Still, the funds have not been able to buy Abbas 100% quiet. Abbas has been facing increased calls to appoint a deputy president as a way of limiting his powers. Palestinian sources said figures who consider themselves appropriate candidates to serve as deputy president include: Jibril Rajoub, a former security commander, Mohammed Shtayyeh, a former minister and member of the Palestinian negotiating team with Israel, Saeb Erekat, the chief PLO negotiator, and Nabil Sha'ath, a former PA foreign minister. Since Abbas, whose term in office expired in January 2009, has shown no sign of willingness to accept power-sharing, the battle for succession is likely to intensify in the coming weeks and months, casting a shadow over his regime as well as the peace talks with Israel.
2013-10-21 00:00:00
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