What the 87-year-old has long lacked is the support of the Palestinian population, as observers repeatedly point out in this context. And this applies not only to the Gaza Strip, where the radical Islamist Hamas violently seized power in 2007, but also to the West Bank.
As in the Gaza Strip, the last elections were held in early 2006: Abbas has repeatedly announced new elections, as he did in 2021, but has also canceled them just as frequently. This is accompanied by the accusation that Abbas has clung to power without a mandate for 14 years. Additionally, there are persistent allegations of corruption, but also a style of government that has been criticized as increasingly authoritarian over the years, including limited rights for civil society and a tougher approach to critical voices.
debate
Middle East: How to break the spiral of violence?
Protests with resignations
According to the online portal France24, an example of the “growing anger” against the Palestinian president, who is widely described as unpopular, was a “rare demonstration” on the streets of the occupied West Bank with the call “Abbas resigns”.
“According to some voices, Mahmoud Abbas’ power in the Palestinian territories is heading towards zero,” said Swiss television (SRF), where Middle East expert Inga Rogg “certainly” ruled out any re-election of Abbas. Finally, according to the information, it is also clear to international partners that “Mahmud Abbas no longer has support at home” – but currently “there is no alternative”.
Before returning to the Gaza Strip?
A possible return of autonomous authority led by Abbas’s Fatah to the Gaza Strip is currently causing more discussion than Abbas’s removal from power. If Israel implements its plan and successfully destroys Hamas, from an observer’s perspective, this is a completely conceivable, albeit questionable, scenario. However, Abbas has apparently already set conditions for this. The move would only be considered if it were part of a broader peace initiative with Israel, a Palestinian official said, according to the Times of Israel.
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Hamas: terrorist organization and sole ruler of Gaza
Personal meeting with Biden canceled again
Abbas only distanced himself from Hamas about a week after the terrorist attacks in Israel. His actions and policies “do not represent the Palestinian people,” as Abbas said in a phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Abbas had previously been in contact with Jordan, a prominent supporter of the Palestinian Authority, as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Abbas also visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Abbas spoke on the phone with US President Joe Biden – a planned personal meeting with Biden was canceled in connection with the rocket attack on a hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Portal/Christophe Ena French President Emmanuel Macron visits Abbas in Ramallah
French President Emmanuel Macron was the first Western head of state to visit Abbas in the West Bank. Abbas called on the French president to work to end the “aggression” in Gaza. Macron stressed that nothing could “justify the suffering” of the civilian population in Gaza – but the future of the Palestinians depends on a “clear” fight against terrorism. According to Macron, Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel is “also a catastrophe for the Palestinians”.