Egypt prods Hamas on next PLC head
Few details have emerged from meetings between a Hamas delegation and Egyptian officials last month, but it is believed that Hamas is being encouraged to cede its speakership in the Palestinian Legislative Council as part of a leadership succession plan.
A Hamas leadership delegation led by political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh visited Egypt Feb. 9- 28. The trip's goals and results have remained vague, with no word from participants Khalil al-Hayya, Fathi Hammad, Rawhi Mushtaha, Izzat al-Rishq, Mousa Abu Marzouk and Saleh al-Arouri. Hamas’ Feb. 24 statement said only that all meetings were positive and addressed the situation of the citizens in the Gaza Strip and reconciliation with Fatah.
On March 11, Npaa Press quoted prominent Palestinian sources as saying on condition of anonymity that Hamas and its Egyptian hosts mainly discussed President Mahmoud Abbas’ health crisis in late February, about which the Palestinians refrained from providing details, and possible scenarios for the post-Abbas period. The Egyptians also asked Hamas to relinquish the speakership of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) to an internationally accepted figure without specifying what Hamas would gain in return. They suggested three PLC members for the position: Salam Fayyad, Hanan Ashrawi and Mustafa Barghouti.
Ashrawi, 72, has been a member of the PLC since 1996. She has held many positions, including PLO Executive Committee member, official spokeswoman of the Arab League 2001-2002, minister of education and higher education 1996-1998, and official spokeswoman for the Palestinian delegation to the peace process 1991-1993.
Barghouti, 64, ran in the Palestinian presidential elections in 2005. He was elected to the PLC in 2006, then became minister of information in 2007. He founded the Palestinian National Initiative in 2002 and is its secretary-general. Today, he is a symbol of popular resistance against Israel, as he co-founded and supported the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and was nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.
