Abbas loses grip on the West Bank

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appears to be losing his grip on the West Bank as the number of those opposed to him is increasing in spite of his policies against them.

Palestinian human rights sources said the Palestinian High Court in Ramallah decided last Wednesday to release the funds of a non-profit organisation headed by former Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The funds had been seized over claims of “money laundering”.

The following day, the Palestinian Court of Appeal rejected a corruption case against dismissed Fatah member Mohammed Dahlan saying “he still enjoys parliamentary immunity”.

Local media reported that international pressure lead to investigations in to Fayyad and Dahlan’s activities being halted.

The growing number of opposition voices against Abbas’s policy indicates that the size of the man’s opponents is on the rise.

Former second in command of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation Yasser Abed Rabbo, who was fired by Abbas two weeks ago, said in a statement yesterday that Abbas’s decision was illegal.

“I was fired without a vote and this harms not only me but the organisation,” he told reporters.

Media outlets have reported that Abbas also referred former Prime Minister Fayyad’s advisor, Jamal Zakout, for early retirement.

Abbas has alleged in closed-door meetings that Abed Rabbo is part of a group of Palestinian politicians trying to undermine him with financial support from the United Arab Emirates.