Palestinian leader's son wins role in Abbas' party, official says
Yasser Abbas, the son of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, has won a seat in the Fatah Central Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party. The move fuels speculation that the 90-year-old president may be positioning his 64-year-old son as a successor amid a looming leadership transition. The Palestinian Authority, dominated by Fatah, faces criticism over governance, lack of elections, and financial challenges.
- ▪Yasser Abbas won a seat in the Fatah Central Committee during the party's first general conference in nearly a decade.
- ▪Critics within Fatah argue that Yasser Abbas lacks the ability to unify Palestinians or lead a new political direction.
- ▪Yasser Abbas has never held an official role in Fatah or the Palestinian Authority but runs private businesses in the West Bank.
- ▪The Fatah party dominates both the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
- ▪Other new Central Committee members include intelligence chief Majed Faraj and former militant Zakaria Zubeidi.
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Palestinian leader's son wins role in Abbas' party, official saysSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, accompanied by his son Yasser, leaves a hospital in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 28, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad TorokmanPublished May 17, 2026, 07:13 PMUpdated May 17, 2026, 07:13 PMRAMALLAH, West Bank, May 17 - The millionaire businessman son of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has won a steering role in his father's political party Fatah, a party official said on Sunday, as a succession fight looms for control of the embattled Palestinian Authority (PA).Yasser Abbas won a seat in elections for the Fatah Central Committee, the party's highest decision-making body, at its first general conference in almost a decade.
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