| Thought-provoking. Key bits: |
[AM Thinker] Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, is 86 years old. Against all odds, Abbas has been able to control the PLO and the Palestinian Authority with an iron fist. To this day, he remains "El kol fil kol," an Arabic term for a man in control of everything. Nonetheless, Abbas's health has been failing more rapidly lately.
In addition, Abbas's demeanor has changed. He seems distant from the Palestinian Authority areas. He spends most of his time in Amman, Jordan, under the pretext of receiving medical treatment.
Abbas is on his last legs. Yet he is not preparing any of his sons to be his successor, not even his well educated millionaire businessman son, Mazen, who is also a Canadian citizen.
So the question is, who will replace him?
A number of names come to mind, but there is no one who is a natural, who would command the support of the power brokers or the Palestinians.
| Suggested names, with details at the link: |
- Hussein Al-Sheikh, 62, secretary general of the Executive Committee of the PLO
- General Majid Farraj, in his 50s, the head of Palestinian Intelligence.
- Jibril Rajoub, the former head of the Palestinian FBI, the Preventive Security Force, and a member of the PLO's Central Committee
- Mohammad Dahlan served as Arafat's security chief and remains influential to this day
- Other names such as Abbas Zaki, Salam Fayyad, Ahmad Qurai, Nabil Shaath, and Nasser Al Qudwa, Arafat's nephew, come to mind, but none of them has the power, influence, muscle, or popularity to keep the P.A. intact
When Abbas goes, since there is no acceptable heir apparent, chaos will ensue. The P.A. areas will fall into disarray. Hamas will to try to infiltrate the West Bank further, as it has been doing slowly but surely.
To avoid such an outcome, Israel will have to take full control of Oslo-delineated Areas A, B and C. That will mean the end of the Palestinian Authority. 
|
