Abbas Tells PA to Find New President

“You have 10 days until I return from the United States.  You must start the search for a new president,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told government factions on Wednesday, according to a report in the Saudi Arabian newspaper Alwatan.

The Palestinian Authority has reported major financial hardships, continued tension with Hamas, and a failure to get Israel to the negotiating table on its terms.  Israel sent the PA an advance of tax revenues to cover their reported costs, and the PA has appealed to the international community for donations, though the US and Arab countries have not come through.

Hamas and Fatah have made repeated attempts at reconciliation, but reunions have been shortlived.