Mahmoud Abbas to resign PLO leadership position, officials say

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has resigned as the Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s executive committee, it has been announced. Several other top-level officials of the PLO also reportedly resigned. More than half of the 18 committee members stepped down with him.

At the meeting on Saturday night, the committee voted to appoint Erekat as PLO secretary- general.

The Palestinian National Council has called for an election to take place in the next month to select a new executive committee.

The executive committee is the PLO’s highest decision-making body and acts on behalf of Palestinians in the occupied territories and the diaspora, namely in the peace process with Israel.

“Slaeem Za’noon, speaker of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), received the resignations of President Abbas and nine members of the PLO executive committee in accordance with the law”, said Shak’aa.

Rumors of Abbas’ declining health and reports of political infighting have added more fuel to expectations of his resignation.

Elected in 2005, Abbas is now in the eleventh year of what was supposed to be a four-year term. He has previously claimed he has no plans to run for re-election.