PA chairman Abbas unable to fulfill his duties due to poor health – report

Fatah officials tell Lebanese newspaper that the Palestinian Authority’s chairman has been effectively incapacitated by his declining health.

By World Israel News Staff

Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority and head of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Fatah faction, has been unable to fulfill his duties lately due to his failing health, an Arabic media outlet reported over the weekend.

On Saturday, the Lebanon-based, pro-Syrian Al-Akhbar newspaper cited multiple Fatah officials who claimed that Abbas’ medical condition has deteriorated to the point where he has often been left incapable of fulfilling his duties as Palestinian Authority chairman.

Abbas was slated to visit Ramallah’s Istishari Hospital several weeks ago for medical checks, the sources claimed, but cancelled the visit at trip at the last minute, instead calling for doctors to examine him at his office in Ramallah.

The Palestinian Authority chairman also reportedly was secretly transported to Jordan for a number of urgent medical treatments prior to his appearance at the United Nations on May 15th.

The age and ongoing health concerns of the 88-year-old Palestinian Authority leader, who is now serving his 19th year of a four-year term, have raised concerns regarding the future stability of the PA both in the U.S. and within the ruling Fatah party.

“Recently, the heads of the movement’s central committee examined medical reports on his health condition, and actually began to prepare for the next stage of the fight to replace Abu Mazen,” senior Fatah official said, referring to Abbas by his nom de guerre.