RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has tightened his grip on the PLO after he officially approved the distribution of tasks and departments among the Executive Committee’s members on Aug. 1.

Under the new distribution, Abbas, who heads the PLO’s Executive Committee, assumed the position of chairman and head of the National Fund, which serves as the PLO’s Ministry of Finance. Abbas also appointed his adviser for foreign and international affairs, Nabil Shaath, as the temporary head of the Department of Expatriate Affairs, although Shaath is not a member of the Executive Committee.

These appointments sparked a wave of criticism from Palestinian factions and forces, particularly since the position of chairman of the National Fund is normally elected by the Palestinian National Council (PNC) rather than the Executive Committee. Shaath replaced Tayseer Khaled, who had been the head of the Department of Expatriate Affairs for the past decade.

The current Executive Committee was formed May 4, with Abbas urging members of the PNC to approve the new structure without resorting to elections. However, Article 13 of the PLO’s Basic Law states that “all members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by the [Palestinian] National Council.”