Abbas cracks down on rival groups as Palestinians call for his resignation
File photo of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (AFP)
Sheren Khalel-Thursday 21 April 2016
File photo of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (AFP) 
Sheren Khalel-Thursday 21 April 2016
BETHLEHEM, West Bank – As violence continues in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, tensions within the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) appear to be rising, with critics accusing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of increasingly trying to weaken and silence opponents.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a socialist movement and the second largest faction in the PLO has been at the heart of the growing controversy.
Since the latest upswing in violence began in October, the PFLP has become one of the most vocal factions to challenge President Mahmoud Abbas' stumbling administration. The group has been highly critical of the government, accusing it of not supporting the people’s uprising.
The PLO encompasses several Palestinian factions, but Abbas' Fatah movement is by far the most prominent group in the alliance.
Last week the PLO cancelled funds that should legally be funneled from the PLO to its various members, increasing tensions that have been growing for months.
The PFLP was quick to go on the offensive, saying the move was a response to their criticism of Abbas.
A day after the announcement, PFLP members burned photos of Abbas during a protest in Gaza City.
Hani al-Thawabta, a leader of the PFLP in the Gaza Strip and member of the PFLP’s central committee, told Middle East Eye that Abbas’s actions were an attempt to turn the PLO into “a weapon to acquire power”, by pushing out anyone who disagrees with his positions.
