Ageing Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas boosting his son’s political rise, officials say

TEL AVIV, Israel – For years, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has held an iron grip on power by ousting rivals, sidelining the judiciary and cooperating with Israel on security.

Mr Abbas, 90, has now found another way to extend his influence: He has been positioning his son, Yasser, for a senior leadership role in Fatah, the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority, according to six Palestinian officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank and which Mr Abbas has led since 2005, has long been dogged by accusations of corruption. Mr Abbas’ presidential term technically ended in 2009, but he has since cancelled elections.

For many Palestinians, Mr Abbas’ push to elevate his son shows that he has no intention of loosening his hold on power or of satisfying a public yearning for new leadership.

“We’re dealing with the rule of an individual,” said Mr Hani al-Masri, a Palestinian political analyst, referring to Mr Abbas. “He is in control of everything.”

Mr Yasser Abbas declined to be interviewed and did not respond to written questions.

Mr Mahmoud Abbas’ office also did not respond to a request for comment. He has long vowed to fight corruption in the Palestinian political system and criticised those who demand he take action while failing to provide specific allegations.

His push to advance his family’s interests, despite resistance from within his party and the public, also comes as the Palestinian Authority faces growing international pressure to carry out significant political reforms.

Trump administration officials have said that the authority can play a meaningful role in the post-war Gaza Strip only if the governing body can carry out a programme of reforms. Supporters of establishing a Palestinian state believe Gaza should be a part of it.

On May 14, Fatah met to elect a new Central Committee, the party’s top leadership body. Mr Yasser Abbas, 64, has been pressing members for a seat on the committee, the officials said, adding that without his father’s support, he would have little prospect of securing it.

At the start of the party congress, Mr Mahmoud Abbas delivered a speech in which he said Fatah has been the “backbone” of the Palestinian national project, and spoke about the immense destruction in Gaza and “settlers’ terrorism” in the West Bank.

He also discussed plans to hold legislative and presidential elections for the Palestinian Authority, which have not happened in 20 years, without offering a clear timetable.

“This matter affirms our firm commitment to the democratic process and political pluralism,” he said. He was later re-elected as Fatah’s chair, according to Wafa, the news agency run by the Palestinian Authority.

Over the past year, Mr Yasser Abbas has taken on a more public-facing role in Palestinian officialdom, serving as an envoy to Lebanon.

One of his main tasks there has been to facilitate the disarmament of Palestinian factions in refugee camps, with limited success, the officials said.

Signs of Mr Yasser Abbas’ political ambitions have become apparent in recent weeks as he has visited the headquarters of multiple Palestinian security agencies in Ramallah, meeting with top generals and officers in the West Bank.

During those visits, he donned dark-green outfits that bore a resemblance to the military fatigues worn by Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader who died in 2004. Mr Yasser Abbas also goes by the same nickname that Arafat used, Abu Ammar.

He has also accompanied his father on overseas trips, appearing in photos with presidents and foreign officials.

His presence in high-level meetings has occasionally irked some foreign officials, including in the Biden administration.

“We conveyed through official PA channels that it wasn’t seemly for Abbas’ son to be appearing in official delegations,” said Ms Barbara Leaf, a former assistant secretary of state overseeing Middle East policy.

She said Mr Yasser Abbas attended a meeting in Ramallah between Mr Mahmoud Abbas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the aftermath of the Hamas-led Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Some senior Fatah officials have privately expressed opposition to Mr Yasser Abbas joining the Central Committee, but they have refrained from taking a public stand against him, fearing retribution from Mr Mahmoud Abbas, two of the Palestinian officials said.

As long as he maintains his father’s support, Mr Yasser Abbas will easily be elected to the committee at the Fatah General Congress, they said.

They also said they believed he was interested in a powerful role in the Palestinian Authority, though it was unclear whether he was vying to become its president.

Until now, Mr Hussein al-Sheikh, the deputy of Mr Mahmoud Abbas, has been thought to be best positioned to take over as the authority’s top leader.

Many Palestinians have expressed concern that Mr Yasser Abbas and Mr al-Sheikh would represent a continuation of the status quo, which offers them little hope for a revitalized, more democratic Palestinian Authority and an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

The authority has struggled to respond effectively to escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, but it has worked closely with Israeli security forces to crush Hamas militant activity.

Mr Alaa, a resident of Hebron in the southern West Bank, in his 30s, said if it was true that Mr Mahmoud Abbas was elevating his son into a senior position, it would affirm a widespread feeling that he was abandoning the interests of Palestinians.

“There’s no justice in this land,” said Mr Alaa, who asked for only his first name to be used, fearing retribution from authorities. “We’re living between a corrupt Palestinian government and a harsh Israeli occupation.

“There’s little hope with our leaders. It feels like everything leads to a dead end.”

Analysts said that Mr Mahmoud Abbas, by assisting his son’s rise, would be missing an opportunity to unite a divided Fatah, undermining the main Palestinian political alternative to Hamas.

“It’s very problematic,” said Mr Ghaith al-Omari, a former adviser to Mr Mahmoud Abbas and a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a research group.

“Fatah needs to rebrand itself, but bringing Yasser on the Central Committee achieves the exact opposite of that.” NYTIMES