Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Middle East issues said: Recently, the head of the Palestinian Authority appointed the speaker of the National Assembly of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the interim head of the PA during the transition period. In the course of his speech on the eve of the “Declaration of Independence” of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbass, the head of the Palestinian Authority, noted: “In the event of a vacancy in the position of the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, in accordance with the Palestinian electoral law, the speaker of the Palestinian National Assembly will temporarily assume the presidency of the PA until the elections are held.” Rawfi Fattuh is currently the chairman of the Palestinian National Assembly, the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
In an interview with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations website, Jaafar Qanadbashi said that the PA is an incompetent organization whose capabilities have been significantly depleted, “Also, its effectiveness has been minimized due to the people’s hatred of this organization.”
This expert believes that several reasons have led to this transformation, namely the displacement of Mahmoud Abbas, each of which is important in its own right.
He explained: “The first reason is related to Abu Mazen himself, that is, reaching old and retirement age, which had been discussed before. There was even talk about his illness, which might cause him to step down.”
Qanadbashi added: “But another very important reason is the restructuring of the PA in preparation for the possible acceptance of responsibility for managing Palestinian affairs, which is being done with the aim of eliminating Hamas. In the sense that efforts are being made to prepare the PA so that if Hamas is eliminated, there will be no question of a power vacuum and the management of Palestine.”
According to this expert, the Israeli regime, the West, and some Arab countries are looking for the person who takes power in the PA to be able to take on Hamas’s political responsibilities, especially in the Gaza Strip, and to make the elimination of Hamas more feasible.
Qanadbashi explained that, of course, in the process of these measures, the Israeli regime’s desperation to eliminate the entire Palestinian issue is evident. The Israeli regime’s officials want to create the impression that they are not seeking to eliminate Palestine but only Hamas.
The Middle East expert explained in this regard: “These behind-the-scenes movements want to make political and propaganda changes in the PA so that it can assume responsibility for managing Gaza’s affairs while changing the PA’s internal and external capabilities to fill the void left by Hamas.”
Qanadbashi cited another issue that led to this decision as the PA’s very poor performance during the time of Mahmoud Abbas and the repression of Palestinians, most recently when several young Palestinians were killed there.
He explained: “The PA under Mahmoud Abbas has completely obeyed the Israelis in suppressing Palestinians. Therefore, today, Mahmoud Abbas is considered a lost cause, who, in the eyes of the Palestinian people, was an ineffective politician who served the Israeli regime.”
Regarding the reasons for the Israeli regime’s support for this process, he said: “As mentioned, Mahmoud Abbas is a dead end, and today, the Israeli regime supports such a process in order to eliminate this view and bring in someone else who can fill the Hamas vacuum.”
The Middle East expert also mentioned that it is said that during the time of Mahmoud Abbas, he provided information on the Palestinian military and security forces to the Israeli regime, and the entire organization was known as a spy to the Palestinians during his time.
On the global stage, this organization has also consistently adopted positions that, in the eyes of the Palestinian people, have been a cover f up the crimes of the Zionists, as even Mahmoud Abbas’s occasional criticism of the Zionist regime has been considered a fraudulent attempt to cooperate with this regime.
Qanadbashi believes: “Due to the level of hatred of the Palestinian people for the PA and its coalition of forces, it does not seem that this organization can find a favorable position among the Palestinian people. Their record is very unfavorable, and foreign actors are trying to change views towards the organization with such movements and the resignation of Abbass.”
The regional affairs expert finally responded to the question of what the fate of the PA would be if a ceasefire were to take place between Gaza and the Israeli regime, saying: “In any case, the Israeli regime wants this movement to play a greater role so that if Hamas regains power, it can operate as a political competitor in the Palestinian arena. Especially since the PA has been officially accepted in the official arena and international forums, and the UN seat is in the hands of this organization.”
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