The resignation theatre continues...
Mahmoud Abbas told an Austrian newspaper that Salam Fayyad, who attempted to resign last month, might be the head of the next PA government anyway.
According to Arabic translations of the interview, Abbas said "The [unity] government will be composed of independent experts and should not be an alliance between Fatah and Hamas, and Salam Fayyad has the right to keep his job in the next government."
As far as I can tell, Fayyad is still "caretaker" prime minister while Fatah and Hamas bicker over how to pretend they are working towards the next government.
The next moves will be an outcry from Fatah and Hamas who hate Fayyad, with quiet backroom deals to keep Fayyad in office to keep Western aid dollars flowing.
As usual, all Palestinian Arab politicians try to put on a progressive face while speaking to the West and when they speak to each other it is an entirely different universe. The West has far more influence on them than it realizes - after all, they need Western money - but diplomats shrink back from outright hostility, which is the Arab game to keep pressure at bay. This is why we haven't made any progress towards a real peace since Oslo.
Both Abbas and Hamas' prime minister Ismail Haniyeh are now past their four-year terms from previous elections, and Fayyad was never elected to any position. But Jimmy Carter certified that "Palestine" has a vibrant democracy so everything is fine.
