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Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority PA , has nominated Rawhi Fattouh to take over if he cannot continue in his post due to poor health. As Israel continued its war on Gaza — killing more than 44, people and injuring and starving countless others — criticism of Abbas and his presidency heightened. The PA was originally conceived to administer basic provisions — such as education, security, water and electricity — for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in Gaza and parts of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

However, within just a year of the accords being signed, Israel was building illegal settlements in the West Bank. The assassination of Rabin by a far-right Israeli nationalist also dimmed any hopes that Israel would surrender the occupied territory to the PA. Despite failing to bring about Palestinian statehood, the PA continued indefinitely under the leadership of Abbas, even though his term technically came to an end in Western donors froze funding to force it to recognise Israel, which it refuses to do until Israel recognises a Palestinian state.

A power-sharing was attempted between Hamas and rival party Fatah — which also Abbas leads — but fighting erupted and Hamas kicked Fatah out of Gaza. Abbas avoids parliamentary and presidential elections because, analysts say, he fears Fatah losing to Hamas and him losing his post. Palestinians hoped they would vote in May , but Abbas postponed the elections , blaming Israel for saying it would not allow voting in occupied East Jerusalem.

If Abbas cannot continue as president, Fattouh assumes the presidency of the PA for 90 days until elections can be held. He did that before, in when Arafat died. Fattouh is not power-hungry and will readily step aside once a new figure is elected, Tahani Mustafa, an expert on Palestinian politics for the International Crisis Group, said.

Abbas still heads Fatah, the largest and oldest Palestinian political group and has already picked Mahmoud al-Aloul — deputy chairman of the central committee — to take over the party after him. The PLO — an umbrella movement of Palestinian factions dominated by Fatah — lobbies for the rights of Palestinians and makes decisions on their behalf on the global stage.

According to Mustafa, Abbas has ensured that his close confidant Hussein al-Sheikh — PLO secretary-general — will succeed him as its head.