Mahmoud Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas is the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and leader of the Fatah party. He is newsworthy due to ongoing developments in the West Bank and Gaza, including recent local elections. While elections took place in the West Bank and parts of Gaza, Hamas was not allowed to participate. Abbas's Fatah party called for a strike to protest a new Israeli law imposing the death penalty for certain crimes. The PA is also dealing with increasing Israeli measures in the West Bank, which Palestinians view as de facto annexation, including land registration policies that facilitate settler takeover of Palestinian land. The articles highlight the complex political landscape and the challenges faced by the Palestinian Authority under Abbas's leadership.