Against the background of medical reports indicating that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas known amongst Palestinians and Israelis as 'Abu Mazen', is not healthy enough to fulfill his duties, after his doctor visited him several times during the past month, Israel and the political groups in the Palestinian Authority are preparing for the day after his death; according to a report published today in the Lebanese "Al Akhbar" newspaper.
According to the reports, the preparation is being done, among other things, due to the fear from Washington and Jerusalem of the lack of a figure in Fatah who can lead the movement without Abu Mazen. Sources in the Palestinian movement told the Lebanese newspaper that "Abu Mazen had to come to the hospital in Ramallah in recent weeks to conduct medical tests, but he preferred to summon the doctors to him, to the hospital in Mukta. Doctors were summoned several times in the past to conduct tests on Abu Mazen, and before he left for the UN, he also secretly underwent urgent medical tests in Jordan."
Lebanese Newspaper Al Akhbar Report: Fatah Leadership Divided on Succession as Mahmoud Abbas's Health Worsens
โ Adam Albilya - ืืื ืืืืืืื (@AdamAlbilya) June 10, 2023
Reports indicate that the health of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is deteriorating, raising discussions about his succession.
While there is a tendencyโฆ pic.twitter.com/10XDgU0l08
The same sources also said that Israel wants to see the head of the Palestinian General Intelligence Division Majed Faraj at the head of the leadership the day after Abu Mazen. "His vision is in line with Abu Mazen's rejection of any armed resistance," they claimed, adding that the heads of the movement's central committee "actually started preparing for the next stage." According to them, the secretary of the PLO executive committee and the central committee of Fatah Hussein Al-Sheikh tried to buy the trust of the committee members with new financial privileges, but he was also rejected by Jibril Rajoub and Abu Mazen's deputy, Mahmoud Al-Aalul.
A report by the International Crisis Group published back in February claimed that the battle for the chair of the Palestinian Authority may lead to "popular protests, repression, violence, and even the collapse of the [Palestinian] Authority". The report also states that despite the fact that the best scenario is the existence of Democratic elections, it remains the "least likely" option. The Palestinians have not gone to the polls since Abbas took office in 2005, after the death of Yasser Arafat. Even after announcing elections in 2021, he reversed the decision, justifying it as "Israel's refusal to allow their existence of the elections in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967, and which we see as our future capital."
Abu Mazen has not named a successor, and according to all predictions, a tough battle is expected in the leadership of the movement after his death. Sources in Fatah said that "there is a tendency among the second line of the leadership and in the popular strongholds in the West Bank to support Marwan Barghouti as Abu Mazen's successor." However, the sources said that "this approach is rejected by the leadership of the Central Committee, most of whose members consider themselves entitled to succeed in his role."
Based on university student elections the last two years (the only elections in 15 years to gage), itโs likely Hamas will emerge victorious.
โ Jay Engelmayer (@jengelmayer) June 10, 2023
But yes, it will not be a pretty fight - the question is how much will Israelis be affected.
Many are expecting a physical battle for control of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has been rising in popularity in the last few years in Palestinian areas in Judea and Samaria, this was one of the reasons Abbas canceled elections in 2021 out of fear Hamas would win. His fears had been realized just last month when the Hamas-backed 'Islamist Slate' won student elections in several prestigious Palestinian universities, Al-Najah in Nablus and Birzeit University near Bethlehem. Student elections have been a window into the Palestinian electorate since governmental elections have not occurred in nearly 18 years.
