Hamas’s Mashaal reportedly eyes PLO leadership
Hamas’s political leader is interested in heading the PLO, the highest Palestinian representative body, an Arab daily reported on Tuesday.
Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas’s political bureau — from which he is expected to retire in the near future — is eyeing the Palestine Liberation Organization’s top position, backed by Arab countries such as Jordan and Qatar, the London-based daily al-Quds al-Arabi reported. Hamas is currently not part of the PLO, but may be included as part of a reconciliation agreement signed with Fatah, the PLO’s senior component.
Created by the Arab League in 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization is internationally considered the “sole legitimate representative” of the Palestinian people. Since 1993, Israel too recognizes the PLO as its Palestinian negotiating partner.
According to al-Quds al-Arabi, Mashaal is vying for the position of head of the PLO’s Executive Committee, the organization’s decision-making body, to the concern of Fatah, which has dominated the PLO since 1968. The inclusion of Hamas would grant the Islamic organization the vital international recognition it currently lacks. Mahmoud Abbas has headed the PLO’s executive committee since 2004, succeeding Yasser Arafat.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamass-mashaal-reportedly-eyes-plo-leadership/
