Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas has reportedly fired former PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala) as the PA's chief negotiator in talks with Israel.
Instead, Abbas has replaced him with Saeb Erekat, long-time aide and chief negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Abbas left Qureia out of the loop in recent meetings with Israeli and U.S. officials.
Erekat, who was chief negotiator for Yasser Arafat during the negotiations over the Oslo Accords, confirmed the appointment in the lead story published Tuesday by the Arabic-language newspaper A-Sharq al-Awsat.
"Yes, of course I am the head of the Palestinian negotiations team," he said, but declined to give further details about the official change in team leadership. The newspaper said Qureia was informed verbally of Abbas's decision and that no written notification was given.
According to a report published by the Hebrew-language newspaper Yediot Acharanot, Qureia's office has denied that he was dismissed, saying that there has not yet been any decision made on a new leader for the negotiations team.
The Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency said Tuesday that Qureia is expected to be present at the reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas that are scheduled to be held February 22 in Cairo.
Qureia has been considered to be one of several possible successors to Abbas if he decides to step down from the PA leadership in the next elections. Other contenders on the list are PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and jailed Tanzim terrorist leader Marwan Barghouti.