Palestinian factions, academics and political activists have demanded the immediate resignation of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to The Israeli side reported on May 31.
Representatives of several Palestinian factions recently met in the Gaza Strip to discuss ways to lift Abbas's powers. The factions decided to launch a popular movement to demand Abbas's resignation on the pretext that he was no longer the legitimate leader of the Palestinians.
Palestinian Authority President Abbas
Israeli media pointed out that Abbas was asked to resign for two reasons:
First, Abbas, 85, canceled parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for May 22 and July 31, a move that drew sharp criticism from many Palestinians.
Secondly, in the last 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas, Abbas has failed to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, many of whom are unhappy.
Representatives of several Palestinian factions said in a statement: "The recent Jerusalem intifada has exposed the incompetence of the President of the Authority, and the Palestinian people have had enough." ”
The statement also accused Abbas of turning the Palestinian Authority into a "one-man dictatorship", saying: "We declare that this president no longer has any political or national legitimacy." He must resign immediately or be removed from three leadership positions under his control. We call on our Palestinian people to join that call and to open a new page based on unity in struggle, unity among peoples and unity in the land. ”
Hamas female warrior
Abbas, who was elected president of the Palestinian Authority in January 2005 and expired in 2009, has since used the dispute with Hamas as an excuse to avoid parliamentary and presidential elections. The last parliamentary elections were held in 2006, when Hamas defeated Abbas's ruling Fatah faction to win a majority on the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council has been paralyzed.
An armed faction in Palestine
When Abbas announced the postponement of elections, he reiterated his call for the formation of a Palestinian national unity government composed of palestinian factions, including Hamas. He also demanded that Egypt and Qatar put pressure on Hamas and other Palestinian factions to accept his initiative to establish a coalition government. But other faction leaders meeting in the Gaza Strip rejected Abbas's call and said they would urge palestinians to work to force Abbas to step down.