Senior Palestinian figures to boycott PLO council meeting, citing 'deepening divisions'

Notable senior Palestinian figures are set to boycott a Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) Central Council meeting on the grounds that it will "further deepen divisions", The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Saturday.

The meetings were set to take place on Sunday and Monday in Ramallah, the occupied West Bank. The outcome would see potential successors to 86-year-old President Mahmoud Abbas amid internal divisions among Palestinians.

Discussions around electing executive committee secretary general were also said to take place, as the position was yet to be filled following the death of Saeb Erakat from coronavirus complications in November last year.

Prominent Palestinian figure Hanan Ashrawi announced her decision to not participate in the meeting in a letter addressed to the Palestinian National Council Chairman Salim Zanoun.

رسالتي إلى رئاسة المجلس المركزي حول اعتذاري عن حضور جلسة المجلس ٦-٧ شباط ٢٠٢٢. pic.twitter.com/ifweITnAAl

— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) February 5, 2022

"I regret to inform you of my decision not to participate in the session of the Central Council [...] due to non-compliance with the internal regulations of the Palestine Liberation Organization," Ashrawi, a former PLO executive committee member and activist, said in her letter.

Ashrawi also said that the Council "suffers from marginalisation" and a "lack of participation in decision-making", which motivated her decision to withdraw.

"The Palestinian political system needs reform [...] to include the participation of young people, both women and men," she added.

Other senior Palestinian figures to boycott the meeting included central council members Ihsan Salem, Hassan Khreisheh and Taysir Al-Zabri, who announced their decision in a press conference in Ramallah.

The central council is the legislative body of the PLO, which elects its executive committee. It is also responsible for drafting the policies and programs for the PLO.

The council is currently comprised of 141 members and was once regarded a seminal event in Palestinian politics.