Israel backs Palestinians intelligence chief as Abbas successor

Worried about the sudden death of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel is backing the head of the intelligence service as his successor, the daily Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom has reported.

The newspaper added that there is a potential candidate for the succession of Abbas but his political weight is nearly negligible, adding that

anyone who wants to exercise power has to stick to the head of the General Intelligence Major General Majid Faraj as he is the master key for all scenarios and his is the strongest voice in the West Bank when it comes to security.

The newspaper also explained that Faraj has excellent relations with the Israeli security forces “and his fighting against Hamas gives him a high mark, and he is one who might be asking himself the question: Why not me?”

The newspaper pointed out in an article by General Moshe Elad that Abbas is under immense pressure that could lead to his resignation or his sudden death, indicating that the Palestinian president’s exhaustion stems from the great psychological pressure he suffered in the last few months.

Read: Palestinian efforts to oust ‘corrupt’ Abbas

The newspaper added that US President Donald Trump demanded Abbas stop paying the salaries of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. This is “a step that no Palestinian president can venture to do either at present or in the future because it is a magic recipe for political suicide”, pointing out that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi himself turned his back on Abbas.