The Palestinian Authority announced an upcoming visit by President Mahmoud Abbas to Gaza, and preparations have begun. The American website "Axios" reported that the Palestinian Authority sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requesting Israel facilitate President Abbas's visit to Gaza. "Axios" noted that "Netanyahu is considering the Palestinian Authority's request for the Gaza visit and will issue a decision on this matter." Many questions have arisen about the purpose of the visit; however, contrary to what the Authority announced, many are upset by its timing and consider that Abbas is entering Gaza with Israeli tanks.
Meanwhile, rumors continue about the Palestinian president receiving threats on his life. Additionally, there are speculations suggesting that Mahmoud Abbas is in a difficult health condition, which prompted him to transfer his powers to Minister Hussein Sheikh, who was appointed as Secretary of the Executive Committee of the PLO. However, a deleted tweet, which was picked up by many media outlets at the time, revealed the fragility of the internal Palestinian situation and reflected the conflicts within the Palestinian arena.
The topic of succession is sensitive at this moment and has security and political implications for the upcoming phase, with concerns due to the legal complexities surrounding the issue, as the situation is exceptional due to political and legal decisions. There are two main factions within Fatah, which is no longer a secret: one led by Minister Hussein Sheikh and intelligence chief Majid Faraj, who are closest to Abbas, and another led by Jibril Rajoub, Secretary of the Fatah Central Committee. There are three main circles involved in selecting a successor: the first within the movement itself, the second local and popular, and the third regional and international, each having influence over who becomes the president's successor.
What Fatah chooses as its president after Abbas will not necessarily be the president of the Palestinian Authority, as there is also the PLO, which consists of various forces and factions that have their own viewpoints on this matter. Additionally, there is the second circle representing the local popular sentiment and the third circle encompassing regional and international perspectives.
Considering the legal framework, there is nothing in Palestinian law indicating that the president has the authority to delegate his responsibilities, and if this were to happen, it would be illegal and further complicate an already complex situation. The vacancy of the president's position for any reason would have serious repercussions, which is why the rumors about his illness and transfer of powers are receiving significant media attention.
To date, there is no agreement on a specific person to succeed Abbas, resulting in multiple competitors, making the issue fraught with complications and unhealthy ramifications. It is noteworthy that President Abbas has recently tasked Hussein Sheikh, a member of both the Executive Committee of the PLO and the Central Committee of Fatah, with the role of Secretary of the Executive Committee of the organization, succeeding Saeb Erekat, who passed away in November 2020 from complications related to COVID-19. Although the internal system of the organization stipulates that the secretary should be elected at a meeting of the executive committee, in February, the Central Council chose Sheikh instead of the late Erekat for the executive committee and Muhammad Mustafa to replace Hanan Ashrawi, who had submitted her resignation.
The Palestinian constitution states that if the president is absent for any reason, the President of the Palestinian Legislative Council will assume power for two months; however, this option became impossible with the constitutional court's decision to dissolve it in 2018. The theoretically expected scenario would be that instead of the legislative council's president (a Hamas leader) taking over, “the Central Committee of Fatah would choose one of its members to succeed him, then the PLO would approve this president, followed by the constitutional court validating the decision.”
It is recalled that when the late President Yasser Arafat passed away, the PLO took less than two hours to appoint a successor, which bolstered Abbas’s authority at the time. However, today, according to Al-Omari, this process could take much longer and potentially be “the straw that breaks the camel's back.”