Israel Matzav

'Palestinian Authority' denies Abu Mazen to resign, dismantle PA

Denying rumors in Arab media, the 'Palestinian Authority' says that 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen has no intention of resigning or of dismantling the 'Palestinian Authority.'

The denial came in response to unconfirmed reports published in a number of Arab media outlets that claimed that Abbas was about to make a "surprise announcement" in the coming days.

Ghassan Shaka'ah, member of the PLO Executive Committee, described the reports as "unfounded rumors."

Shaka'ah said that the resignation of Abbas or the dismantlement of the PA was not an "individual matter and requires Palestinian consensus."

The rumors were sparked by Abbas's comments during an interview with an Egyptian TV station earlier this week. In the interview, Abbas said that he was about to announce "something surprising and dangerous to the Palestinian people."

On Wednesday night, Abbas hinted at the possibility of dissolving the PA when he told a meeting of the Fatah Revolutionary Council that the "Palestinian Authority was not an authority and many people and institutions ask me about the futility of maintaining it."

Abbas said that he was planning to discuss the future of the PA with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal during their planned meeting next month.

The PA president said that when he met US President Barack Obama in New York last month he asked him for an answer as to where the Palestinians were headed.

"The important question that we are asking is: Where are we headed?" Abbas said. "We want an answer to this question and we want to know what to do. The Palestinian Authority is no longer an authority and this is the issue that needs to be addressed."

Hmmm.

I'm not sure his resigning would be such a bad thing. And if they dismantle the PA, I guess that means that the IDF would have to go back into the cities, which would also not be a bad thing so long as we can take away all those weapons they have there.

Labels: Abu Mazen, Palestinian Authority

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:41 PM