Abed Rabbo: 'Abbas does not have the power to sack me'

Secretary of the Executive Committee of the PLO Yasser Abed Rabbo said Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas does not have the power to sack him, Quds Press reported yesterday.

He said he was “surprised by the news that Abbas had sacked him” and reiterated that he did not receive any information about this or the reason behind the action. He said media outlets had informed him that Abbas was planning to take this step.

Abed Rabbo added: “Abbas does not have the power to sack me. This is the power of the Executive Committee. If it planned to sack me, this must be in a general meeting and it must be clearly announced.”

He noted that if this news was confirmed, there would be an appropriate response.

Quds Press reported that several sources said that Abbas had sacked Abed Rabbo during an Executive Committe meeting on Tuesday evening. It noted that Abbas would take responsibility for this position until a successor is elected.

The sources said that Abed Rabbo, who has served in this position since Abbas was chosen as head of the PLO after the death of Yasser Arafat, did not attend the last two meetings of the Executive Committee because he was abroad.