Abbas tightens grip on Palestinian governmental bodies
Some Palestinian factions claim President Mahmoud Abbas' recent appointments for Executive Committee posts show that he is tightening his grip on the PLO.
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.
