Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has informed the leaders of several major Arab nations of his intention to carry out a series of resignations from all of his posts, and to soon retire from politics outright. He took these leadership positions in 2004 and 2005, in the wake of Yasser Arafat’s death.
Abbas resigned last month from the PLO Executive Committee, along with 10 other members, forcing a new election. Though this was initially seen as entirely about forcing the vote, and trying to get more Fatah allies on the committee. The plan, according to reports, is for Abbas to resign as PLO chair, then head of Fatah, then as president of the Palestinian Authority.
It’s unclear who Abbas envisions as his successor, and there is no obvious leader-in-waiting. The timing, in that regard, is a bit of a surprise, but at 80-years-old and with a stalled peace process, Abbas appears not to be interested in staying in politics for its own sake.
Israeli analysts are seeing this entirely as a plot by Abbas to embarrass the Netanyahu government, noting Abbas has threatened to resign in the past and didn’t follow through. Whether he follows through or not, Abbas is clearly nearing the end of his dominance of Palestinian politics.
Relatedly, Israel is asking the US to give it more funds for poodle grooming.
The Israelis missed their best chance. Instead, they slid into name calling against Abbas.
I'm guessing they think they can get an obedient puppet in there. Even if they could, he would be powerless to deliver what they want, which is compliance, not just their claims.
Much more likely, they'll now have to deal with someone who must prove himself to be what Abbas ought to have been, standing up more to Israel.
Israel will never make peace. It can't end well.