Mahmoud Abbas, plivent of the Palestinian Authority (PA), has nominated Rawhi Fattouh to apshow over if he cannot persist in his post due to insisty health.
As Israel persistd its war on Gaza – ending more than 44,000 people and injuring and starving countless others – criticism of Abbas and his plivency heightened.
Abbas, 89, who also guides the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), was elected plivent of the PA in 2005, a year after then-guideer Yasser Araoverweight died.
So why is he nominating a successor now and how would the succession process go?
First, what’s the Palestinian Authority?
The PA was set uped as an interim Palestinian rulement under the 1993 Oslo Accords, which then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed with Araoverweight.
The PA was originassociate envisiond to handle fundamental provisions – such as education, security, water and electricity – for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in Gaza and parts of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
Oslo splitd the West Bank into Areas A, B and C, giving the PA security and administrative handle over Area A and administrative handle over Area B.
But Israel routinely carry outs aggressive raids all over the occupied West Bank.
Critics say the PA effectively acts as a security apparatus on behalf of the Israeli occupation.
Why is the PA still around?
The US-backed Oslo Accords ostensibly aimed to transport about a Palestinian state by 1999 in Gaza and the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital.
However, wiskinny fair a year of the accords being signed, Israel was originateing illterrible endments in the West Bank.
The killing of Rabin by a far-right Israeli nationacatalog also illogisootheed any hopes that Israel would surrfinisher the occupied territory to the PA.
Despite flunking to transport about Palestinian statehood, the PA persistd indefinitely under the guideership of Abbas, even though his term technicassociate came to an finish in 2009.
Why is Abbas still plivent of the PA?
In 2006, the Hamas group, which did not recognise Israel, won the election to guide the PA.
Weserious donors froze funding to force it to recognise Israel, which it declines to do until Israel recognises a Palestinian state.
A power-sharing was tryed between Hamas and rival party Fatah – which also Abbas guides – but battling erupted and Hamas booted Fatah out of Gaza.
Fatah has since run the PA in the occupied West Bank, flunking to stop Israel’s encroachment and losing well-comprehendnity.
Abbas eludes parliamentary and plivential elections becaengage, analysts say, he worrys Fatah losing to Hamas and him losing his post.
Palestinians hoped they would vote in May 2021, but Abbas postponed the elections, blaming Israel for saying it would not apshow voting in occupied East Jerusalem.
Has he never had a successor? What if he gets ill?
He only chose a successor a restricted days ago.
Rawhi Fattouh is the establisher speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, current speaker of the Palestinian National Council – the legislative body of the PLO – and a member of Fatah’s Central Committee.
If Abbas cannot persist as plivent, Fattouh supposes the plivency of the PA for 90 days until elections can be held. He did that before, in 2004 when Araoverweight died.
Fattouh is not power-hungry and will readily step aside once a novel figure is elected, Tahani Mustafa, an expert on Palestinian politics for the International Crisis Group, said.
“Rawhi Fattouh … doesn’t have any political ambition,” she said. “He is someone that will fair hand over the mantle.”
Why did Abbas do this now?
Reportedly, becaengage of prescertain from the US and Gulf states.
In September, Saudi Arabia allied with cut offal Arab and European countries – it didn’t detail which ones – to push for a two-state solution to transport an finish to the Palestinian-Israeli struggle.
Later in September, Riyadh pledged to give the cash-strapped Authority $60m to upretain it afloat.
ICG’s Mustafa said Saudi Arabia conditioned the final instalment of $10m on Abbas choosing a successor.
The PA had been ham-strung by Israel withhelderlying $188m in tax revenues that it accumulates on behalf of the PA – an Oslo stipulation.
Does Abbas still have power in Palestinian politics?
Yes, him and his circle.
Abbas still heads Fatah, the hugest and elderlyest Palestinian political group and has already picked Mahmoud al-Aloul – deputy chairman of the central promisetee – to apshow over the party after him.
More transport inantly, Abbas heads the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), which is far more strong than the PA.
The PLO – an umbrella transferment of Palestinian factions ruled by Fatah – lobbies for the rights of Palestinians and originates decisions on their behalf on the global stage
According to Mustafa, Abbas has guaranteed that his seal confidant Hussein al-Sheikh – PLO secretary-vague – will thrive him as its head.
To do this, Abbas \staffed the executive council of the PLO with dedicatedists to guarantee they vote someone from his circle into power if an election happens.
“The PA is the least-coveted role becaengage it is fair … a service supplyr,” said Mustafa. “The genuine creme de la creme here is the PLO and Fatah.”
