Fatah veterans oppose Abbas order to close PLO office in Jordan

Fatah veterans in Amman have refused to comply with an order from Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to close the PLO office in the Jordanian capital. The Palestine Affairs office in Amman and the Palestine Political Affairs office in Tunis are the last PLO headquarters in the Arab world. Fatah sources said the office in Jordan has symbolic value to what remains of the liberation organisation.

Abbas is not only president of the Palestinian Authority but also the chairman of the PLO Executive Committee. He ordered the closure several weeks ago. When staff from the Palestine Embassy went to the Amman office to carry out the order, Fatah veterans refused to hand over the keys and official seal. According to Al-Raj newspaper, no reasons were given for the closure decision.

Sources close to the Secretary-General of Fatah’s central committee and the PLO’s political department in Tunisia, Farouq Qaddoumi, said that they are concerned that the president will take similar action to close the office in Tunis as well.

Political analysts believe that Abbas’s orders might have something to do with the agreement with Israel proposed by US Secretary of State John Kerry, not least because the Jordanian government has not asked for the office to be closed.