Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas issued an official statement on Wednesday evening announcing that in the event he is unable to continue serving in his role, the head of the Palestinian National Council, Rawhi Fattouh, will replace him.
Abbas stipulated that if he is unable to fulfill his duties, Fattouh will serve as the head of the Palestinian Authority for 90 days until organized elections are held.
Recently, Fattouh clashed with the Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein, at the MED Dialogues parliamentary forum which was held in Italy.
Fattouh expressed outrage over Edelstein being invited to the event and demonstratively left the discussions. He also sent a letter to all attendees explaining his stance, in which he referred to Edelstein as a "colonialist settler from Israel."
He has been a member of the Palestinian National Council, the PA’s legislative body, since 1983, and was elected as its speaker in 2020.
In 2008, Fattouh was caught trying to smuggle 3,000 cell phones into Israel from Jordan, with the help of his Israeli-issued VIP pass.
In January 2023, then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revoked Fattouh’s entry permit, along with those of two other PA officials after they visited a former terrorist prisoner who was released after serving a 40-year sentence for murdering an IDF soldier.