A recent three-day visit to the Gaza Strip by former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has sparked speculation that he is planning to make a comeback and head a new Palestinian unity government.
According to the Egyptian Arabi 21 news website, Fayyad was asked by the US administration to “feel the pulse” of Hamas and other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip about the possibility that he would head the next Palestinian government.
The report claimed that the US and the Europeans have realized that the role of PA President Mahmoud Abbas has ended because of the decline in his popularity, especially after the crackdown by the Palestinian security forces on political opponents and social media users in the West Bank.
The crackdown reached its peak on June 24 with the death of anti-corruption activist Nizar Banat while in PA custody. His death has triggered a wave of protests throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with many Palestinians demanding that Abbas step down.
An unnamed source in the Gaza Strip told the website that the Americans, Europeans and Israel believe that Abbas’s days in power are nearing their end.
“That’s why they are working to recruit Fayyad as a substitute for Abbas,” the source said. “Fayyad has previous experience with the US, especially regarding training of the Palestinian security services.”
The source claimed that many members of the ruling Fatah faction are opposed to the return of Fayyad as prime minister, while Abbas reportedly supports the idea.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar refused to meet with Fayyad during the latter’s visit to the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave, the source further claimed.
A Palestinian official told The Jerusalem Post that Fayyad’s visit to the Gaza Strip was not linked to any plans for the formation of a new government.
“He went to the Gaza Strip to meet with members of his electoral list and other supporters,” the official said. “He did not ask to meet with Sinwar and he was not asked by the Americans to relay any message to the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.”
Before heading to the Gaza Strip, Fayyad met in Ramallah with Abbas and the two talked about the latest developments in the Palestinian arena. The official also denied that Abbas had offered Fayyad the job of prime minister.
Fayyad, 70, served as prime minister between June 2007 and June 2013. He was appointed by Abbas as prime minister of an emergency government that was formed following Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
Earlier this year, Fayyad formed his own electoral list “Maan Qaderoon” (Together We Are Able) for the parliamentary election that was supposed to be held on May 22. The election was called off by Abbas in late April.