Palestinians create role for vice president, possible successor to aging leader Abbas
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Ramallah (AP): The Palestine Liberation Organisation on Thursday announced the creation of a vice presidency under 89-year-old leader Mahmoud Abbas, who has not specified a successor.
The PLO Central Council's decision came as Abbas seeks greater relevance and a role in postwar planning for the Gaza Strip after having been largely sidelined by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
After a two-day meeting, the council voted to create the role of vice chairman of the PLO Executive Committee. This position would also be referred to as the vice president of the State of Palestine, which the Palestinians hope will one day receive full international recognition.
The expectation is that whoever holds that role would be the front-runner to succeed Abbas — though it's unclear when or exactly how it would be filled. Abbas is to choose his vice president from among the other 15 members of the PLO's executive committee.
The PLO is the internationally recognised representative of the Palestinian people and oversees the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited autonomy in less than half of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Abbas has led both entities for two decades.
Hamas, which won the last national elections in 2006, is not in the PLO. Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas' forces in 2007, and reconciliation attempts between the rivals have repeatedly failed.
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Operation Sindoor: Indian strikes kill Masood Azhar’s 10 family members, 4 aides; Report
New Delhi: Ten family members and four close aides of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar were killed in missile strikes carried out by Indian armed forces under ‘Operation Sindoor’, according to a statement released by Azhar.
The admission came through a statement issued by Azhar and reported by BBC Urdu and PTI on Wednesday, a day after India launched Operation Sindoor, its targeted retaliation to the Pahalgam massacre.
The strikes targeted nine terror-linked sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including the JeM headquarters Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur. Azhar’s elder sister and her husband, and his nephew and his wife, were among those killed.
The operation also hit key compounds associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, including Markaz Abbas in Kotli, Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad, Markaz Taiba in Murdike, and camps in Barnala, Shwawai Nalla, Sialkot, among others. Four of the sites were located in Pakistan and five in PoK.
Reacting to the attack, Azhar said, “Is zulm ne saaray zabtay tor diye hain. Ab koi reham ki umeed na rakhe” — meaning “This cruelty has broken all boundaries. Now, no one should expect mercy.”
Indian Air Force officials confirmed the precision night raids were aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure.
