Abed Rabbo dismisses reports of feud with Abbas

Yasser Abed Rabbo on Tuesday hit back at media reports that he will be deposed as secretary-general of the PLO by President Mahmoud Abbas amid squabbles between the Fatah leaders. The chief of the Palestinian Liberation Organization -- the political grouping currently facing reform as part of the reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah -- said a "source" was briefing several media organizations on his clash with Abbas in order to test his reaction and provoke debate on his role. The Jordanian daily Al-Ghad reported Tuesday that Abbas announced at a meeting of factions in Cairo last week that he would appoint a new PLO secretary-general, amid a fallout over the president's application to join the UN as a full member. "Neither this news, nor the Shabiha gang deserve any comment," Abed Rabbo told a Ma'an reporter in Ramallah, referring to the term used to describe armed gangs fighting in Syria, alleged by both the regime and opposition to be allied to the other. "Unfortunately (Palestinians) have Shabiha who are not different from those massacring (Syrian city) Homs today, however, unluckily for them they lack the capabilities, and the only thing they possess so far is such lies of this kind," Abed Rabbo continued. He did not elaborate on the identity of the Palestinian 'Shabiha' he accuses of working against him. Al-Ghad reported that Abbas accused Abed Rabbo of turning people against the UN bid and his presidency, and decided to strip him of his official roles, including heading the state-run Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation. The reports come amid a potential shake up in Palestinian institutions, which have been divided along party political lines during four years of bitter rivalry between Hamas and Fatah, who run separate administrations in Gaza and the West Bank. After reconciliation meetings last week, Hamas said a committee would prepare for an internal election of the PLO parliament in order to allow Hamas and smaller Islamist faction Islamic Jihad to join. The PLO is the legal representative of Palestinians on the international stage, and has excluded the two younger but influential factions to date. Officials have also indicated that fresh elections will be held in May 2012, raising hopes of a new government to unite the West Bank and Gaza after rivalry between the factions exploded into near civil war in 2007, paralyzing legislative and electoral processes.