Who are Abbas' main Palestinian PM contenders after Gaza war?
Postwar governance of Gaza is the focus of increased diplomatic outreach in the Arab world, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas having in recent days visited Qatar to get Hamas' buy-in on the makeup of a new Palestinian government.
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Discussions about the postwar governance of Gaza are gaining momentum within the Arab world, with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority all heavily involved in behind-the-scenes negotiations. The United States and Jordan — who held a well-timed summit to discuss, among other things, Amman’s role in the day-after events — appear to also be part of the frantic search for solutions and accepted formulas.
As part of this shuttle diplomacy push, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas along with his top two aides, the secretary-general of the PLO's Executive Committee and liaison with Israel, Hussein al-Sheikh, and the head of his intelligence service, Majed Faraj, headed to Qatar to discuss plans for the postwar governance of Gaza.
Multiple reports say that the meetings between Palestinian and Qatari leadership were aimed at getting Hamas consensus on a new Palestinian government and the entry of Hamas into the PLO in the long term.
Sources in Ramallah and Cairo tell Al-Monitor that the Qataris appear to have convinced Hamas’ political leadership of the need for a new — and unified — technocratic government to rule the day after the war, though it's unclear what Hamas will get in exchange for its thumbs up.
