The ageing, ailing Palestinian leader does not do much governing
Someone, some day, will have to replace Mahmoud Abbas
Once a year or so, the Palestinian president puts out something that resembles a proof-of-life video in which he is both kidnapper and captive. Mahmoud Abbas disappeared from public view for almost a week in early June. Social media were rife with rumours about his health. He surfaced on June 8th, delivering a speech by telephone and releasing photos of himself giving it: perhaps not hale and hearty, but at least alive.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The long goodbye”
Middle East & Africa August 27th 2022
From the August 27th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Middle East & Africa
Three big lawsuits against Meta in Kenya may have global implications
One was prompted by the murder of an Ethiopian professor
Trump should try to end, not manage, the Middle East’s oldest conflicts
And he should see the region as more than a source of instability and arms deals
Government by social media in Somalia
Cheap data, social media and creativity are filling in for an absent state
The Gaza ceasefire is stoking violence in the West Bank
Hamas and the Israeli far right both want to destabilise the West Bank
How Turkey plans to expand its influence in the new Syria
Its influence could cause tensions with the Arab world—and Israel
The start of a fragile truce in Gaza offers relief and joy
But the ceasefire is not yet the end of the war