PLO extends Abbas' presidency term

The PLO's Central Committee decided on Wednesday to extend Mahmoud Abbas' term as president by six months, until June 28.

The Committee said this date will coincide with the general elections in the Palestinian Authority, according to an Egyptian reconciliation document – signed only by the Fatah thus far.

The PLO also decided that all constitutional institutions in the Palestinian Authority will continue to operate, in order to prevent a constitutional vacuum.

The official announcement is slated to be released Wednesday night, and will most likely include a warning that should the Palestinian parliament be unable to perform its duties under Hamas rule, the Central Committee is authorized to take over its duties.

The decision came after PLO figures urged the Committee to designate itself as the substitute to the Hamas-controlled parliament – for fear that extending the president's term without extending the parliament's term could undermine the president's status.

Political bribe

Hamas sources criticized the decision and made clear that they did not need permission to extend the parliament's term, which ends next month, because it is a constitutional right that is not dependant on the decision of any one PA body.

Hamas also claimed that the PLO's decision was illegal, and that it undermined the legitimacy of government institutions, while deepening the intra-Palestinian rift. "It is a new trick meant to grant Abbas legal status," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.

Barhoum added that Hamas considered this move a political bribe on behalf of the Central Committee meant to cover up for Abbas' illegitimacy. "Abbas' term in ended, and no one has the right to extend it," he said.