Abbas era as Palestinian leader draws to a close

Mahmoud Abbas

Menachem Klein, in +972, writes, “Someone in the Israeli intelligence community is worried about the health of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and specifically about what may transpire on the day after his death. Anonymous sources want the Israeli public and its decision makers to be concerned as well. Indeed, from the point of view of the Israeli establishment, there is cause for concern. The possible death of Abbas threatens the status quo and those who reap the benefits from it.” (read more)

Shlomi Eldar, in Al Monitor, writes, “The reports surfacing about the impending resignation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are nothing new. Over the past year, similar rumors emerged repeatedly only to be proven false. Now, however, all indications suggest that the end of the Abbas era is imminent.”

“The PLO and its largest faction Fatah, both headed by Abbas, are preparing for a change of guard. A Palestinian source told the popular London-based Al-Hayat newspaper that when the Palestinian National Council convenes in May, the PLO institutions are expected to name a successor to the president, with Abbas lobbying for his associate Mahmoud al-Aloul.” (read more)