Palestinian President to Make Broad Changes in Fatah Leadership

President Mahmoud Abbas with leaders and governors after they were awarded the Star of Merit at the end of their duties and retirement (Wafa)
President Mahmoud Abbas with leaders and governors after they were awarded the Star of Merit at the end of their duties and retirement (Wafa)
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Palestinian President to Make Broad Changes in Fatah Leadership

President Mahmoud Abbas with leaders and governors after they were awarded the Star of Merit at the end of their duties and retirement (Wafa)
President Mahmoud Abbas with leaders and governors after they were awarded the Star of Merit at the end of their duties and retirement (Wafa)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is planning the broadest changes within the official Palestinian bodies and security services and Fatah leadership to strengthen the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Informed Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that an imminent cabinet reshuffle would involve at least five ministers, appointing 12 new governors and retiring about 30 ambassadors.

The changes will be followed by Fatah’s eighth congress, which will end with the selection of a new central committee and revolutionary council.

According to the sources, the changes will begin this week until the end of the year. They will help the PA ahead of the post-presidential era, which includes choosing a new leadership for the Fatah movement.

It is assumed that the significant change will begin with a ministerial reshuffle that will include several ministers, provided that Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh remains in his position.

Initially, the intention was for a complete ministerial change, but then it was limited to some ministries and the retirement of over 30 ambassadors.

Shtayyeh accepted the resignation of Minister of Education Marwan Awartani and delegated the Ministry's work to Minister of Higher Education Mahmoud Abu Moweis.

The amendment, which would have primarily affected the Minister of Education, comes at the start of the school year amid the ongoing disputes with unions.

In his resignation letter, Awartani discussed his “deep differences” with Shtayyeh, which affected the “work environment.”

- Security meetings

A security source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Abbas chaired a meeting with security leaders last week, addressing the security situation, mechanisms for appointing new governors, and other issues.

Last month, Abbas retired 12 governors, eight in the West Bank and four in the Gaza Strip. The decision was sudden, and the officials were not informed beforehand.

In recent years, the Authority suffered from the control of armed men and factions, which weakened the government.

Israel accused the Authority of losing control in the northern West Bank, leaving it to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements.

The US administration and regional countries discussed the accusations, and during recent security meetings, Abbas directed his leaders to “restore security control without excuses.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that several ambassadors who had reached or exceeded retirement age were informed that retirement procedures would begin soon, following the instructions of Abbas.

The Ministry's statement did not include the names of the ambassadors.

- The judiciary and the PLO

The amendments initiated by the Authority will include the judiciary and its affiliated bodies within the Authority or the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

In his speech at the eleventh session of the Revolutionary Council, Abbas confirmed the date for the eighth Fatah congress on December 17.

The conference was supposed to be held at the beginning of last year before Fatah announced that it would be postponed until May, it was postponed again without a determined date.

Leadership renewal was one of the most important outcomes of the central meeting, ahead of a new phase that determined Abbas’ successor.

The secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee, Hussein al-Sheikh, is a candidate to replace Abbas, and he will compete with prominent figures to replace the 88-year-old President.

Fatah believes the Palestinian president must be in its central committee and the executive committee of the PLO.

The eighth congress will determine the popularity and power of the candidates to replace Abbas.



Israel’s Army Says It Will Fire Air Force Reservists Who Condemned Gaza War

An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
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Israel’s Army Says It Will Fire Air Force Reservists Who Condemned Gaza War

An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)

Israel's military said Friday it will fire air force reservists who signed an open letter that condemns the war in Gaza for only serving political interests instead of bringing the hostages home.

In a statement to The Associated Press, an army official said there was no room for any individual, including reservists on active duty, “to exploit their military status while simultaneously participating in the fighting,” calling the letter a breach of trust between commanders and subordinates.

The army said it had decided that any active reservist who signed the letter will not be able to continue serving. It did not specify how many people that included or if the firings had begun.

Nearly 1,000 Israeli Air Force reservists and retirees signed the letter, published in Israeli media Thursday, demanding the immediate return of the hostages, even at the cost of ending the fighting.

The letter comes as Israel ramps up its offensive in Gaza, trying to pressure Hamas to agree to free hostages, 59 of whom are still being held, more than half of which are dead. Israel's imposed a blockade on food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left civilians facing acute shortages as supplies dwindle. It has pledged to seize large parts of the Palestinian territory and establish a new security corridor through it.

While the soldiers who signed the letter didn’t refuse to keep serving, it’s part of a growing number of Israeli soldiers speaking out against the 18-month conflict, some saying they saw or did things that crossed ethical lines.

“It’s completely illogical and irresponsible on behalf of the Israeli policy makers ... risking the lives of the hostages, risking the lives of more soldiers and risking lives of many, many more innocent Palestinians, while it had a very clear alternative,” Guy Poran, a retired Israeli Air Force pilot who spearhead the letter told The AP.

He said he's not aware of anyone who signed the letter being fired, and since it was published, it has gained dozens more signatures.

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed the letter on Friday, saying it was written by a “small handful of weeds, operated by foreign-funded NGOs whose sole goal is to overthrow the right-wing government.” He said anyone who encourages refusal will be immediately dismissed.

Soldiers are required to steer clear of politics, and they rarely speak out against the army. After Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel quickly united behind the war launched against the group. Divisions here have grown as the war progresses, but most criticism has focused on the mounting number of soldiers killed and the failure to bring home hostages, not actions in Gaza.

The war in Gaza shows no signs of slowing.

Since Israel ended an eight-week ceasefire last month, it said it will push further into Gaza until Hamas releases the hostages. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire collapsed, according to the United Nations.

The Israeli military on Friday issued an urgent warning to residents in several neighborhoods in northern Gaza, calling on them to evacuate immediately. At least 26 people have been killed and more than 100 others wounded in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Palestinians lined up at a charity kitchen Friday in central Gaza said shortages of food, fuel and other essentials are worsening.

“There is no flour or gas or wood. Everything is expensive and there is no money," said Reem Oweis, a displaced woman from al-Mughraqa in south Gaza, waiting in line for a serving of rice, the only food available.

“I completely rely on charity kitchens. If those charity kitchens close, my children and I will die,” said another displace woman, Nema Faragallah.

Also this week, Brazil's Embassy in the West Bank said it had requested the immediate release of the body of a 17-year-old Palestinian prisoner who died in Israeli custody.

A representative from Brazil's office in Ramallah, told the AP it was helping the family speed up the process to bring Walid Ahmad's body home. Ahmad had a Brazilian passport.

According to an Israeli doctor who observed the autopsy, starvation was likely the primary cause of his death.

Ahmad had been held for six months without being charged. He was extremely malnourished and also showed signs of inflammation of the colon and scabies, said a report written by Dr. Daniel Solomon, who watched the autopsy, conducted by Israeli experts, at the request of the boy’s family.

Israel’s prison service said it operates according to the law and all prisoners are given basic rights.