Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA), issued a “constitutional declaration” on Wednesday, designating Rawhi Fattouh, the chairman of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), as the interim President in the event the office of the presidency is vacated.

The declaration outlines that if Abbas’s position becomes vacant and the Legislative Council is deemed “dysfunctional,” Fattouh will temporarily take on the role of President. His tenure would last for no more than 90 days, during which time elections would be organized.

Abbas further clarified that if elections cannot take place within the designated timeframe, the Palestinian Central Council (PCC) has the authority to extend Fattouh’s term for an additional 90 days. However, this extension would be final. The PCC, like the PNC, is one of the primary policymaking entities within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and Fattouh serves as chairman of both councils.

Fattouh has previously served as interim President, stepping into the role following Yasser Arafat’s death in 2004. He held the position from November 2004 until January 2005, when elections were conducted.

In 2022, Haaretz analyst Jack Khoury noted that Fattouh was viewed as “dull and lacking political influence or ability to actually rule” during discussions about potential successors to Abbas.

Born in 1949 in the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza, Fattouh has been involved in Palestinian politics for decades. He joined Fatah’s militant faction, Al-Asifah—later renamed the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades—in 1968. He received military training in Iraq and completed his high school education in Jordan in 1970 before earning a BA in English from Damascus University in 1979.

While pursuing his studies, Fattouh held leadership roles in the General Union of Palestine Students and Fatah. His political career has remained closely tied to the PLO and PA since 1983, when he was first elected to the PNC.

As a long-standing ally of Abbas, Fattouh has been a prominent figure in Fatah, leading the party’s parliamentary efforts for many years.

After backing Abbas’s candidacy for the PA presidency in 2006, Fattouh was appointed as Abbas’s personal representative. Analysts at the time interpreted this as an indication of his potential future as a successor.

{Matzav.com}