Meshaal’s presidential bid could gain support from Jordan and Qatar Palestinian factions have expressed concerns that Khaled Meshaal, head of the Hamas political wing, may attempt to manouevre himself into the presidency of the organisation’s Executive Committee, amid growing support from influential Arab countries.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives are reportedly discussing the possibility that Meshaal could become President of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s [PLO] in years to come.
The Meshaal move would be supported by Arab countries, well-informed sources told Arabstoday, while Fatah is currently betting on its interfactional allies to maintain the leadership – maintained since the start of the Palestinian revolt in 1968.
Sources also claimed that Fatah’s dependence on PLO factions would not help it in keeping the presidency if candidates were elected through proportional representation, according to the reconciliation agreement recently signed in Cairo between Hamas and Fatah representatives.
However, a proportional system would also have to include the military, which is still largely in the hands of grass-roots Fatah movements.
Hamas could end up leading the PLO in years to come, sources added, nothing that a number of influential Arab countries would support Meshaal at the top of the organisation.
Many top-level Palestinian politicians have expressed their belief that if elections were held, Arab countries including Jordan and Qatar would push Hamas, and its political leader Khaled Meshaal, into the highest echelons of the PLO leadership.
In the event of a Meshaal victory, Hamas would be obliged to negotiate with Israel in their pursuit of a Palestinian state according to pre-1967 borders.
Recent meetings between Meshaal and King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman on Monday discussed resuming Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.