What’s next for Palestinian leadership?
The Inquiry
BBC
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 14 September 2023
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is ageing and his ruling Fatah party is deeply unpopular. There have been protests against him and the Palestinian Authority. Many Palestinians feel the PA has lost legitimacy.
There’s no plan for how to choose a successor to Mahmoud Abbas and any candidate is likely to be controversial. There’s a risk that an unpopular replacement may throw the occupied territories into chaos, even violence, and have major implications for the future goals of Palestinian people.
Contributors: Dalia Hatuqa, independent Palestinian journalist. Khalil Shikaki, Professor of Political Science and director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. Ahmad Khalidi, political analyst and writer on Palestinian and Middle East political and strategic affairs. Ines Abdel Razak, executive director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy.
Presenter: Emily Wither Producer: Louise Clarke Researcher: Matt Toulson Editor: Tara McDermott Sound engineer: Jack Wood
(Photo: Palestinians celebrate vote. Credit: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Unexpected elements is the podcast exploring the science behind the headlines. |
| 0:04.8 | It's a real melting pot. |
| 0:06.0 | Yeah, the surface has lots happening. |
| 0:08.0 | Unexpected elements from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.0 | Find it wherever you get your BBC podcasts. |
| 0:16.0 | Welcome to the inquiry with me, Emily Whither. |
| 0:19.0 | Each week one question, four expert witnesses and an answer. |
| 0:24.0 | This year has been the deadliest on record for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. |
| 0:36.0 | In July, Israeli forces carried out their largest scale military operation there in decades. |
| 0:43.0 | Focused on Janine, Israel say the city was being used to launch attacks on their citizens. |
| 0:50.0 | Palestinians say they're defending their land against increasing expansion of Israeli settlements, |
| 0:56.0 | illegal under international law. |
| 1:06.0 | Dressed in black, guns raised in the air, Palestinians in the city have been protesting the violent crackdown. |
| 1:13.0 | But their chants are not just directed towards Israel. |
| 1:18.0 | Fight the PA before the Israelis they shout. |
| 1:21.0 | They're a useless authority. |
| 1:29.0 | That's the Palestinian Authority. |
| 1:31.0 | The governing body set up 30 years ago under the Oslo peace supports. |
| 1:40.0 | They chant about its deeply unpopular leader, Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazin. |
| 1:46.0 | The 87-year-old has a history of health problems, but it remains unclear who will succeed him. |
| 1:52.0 | A failed transition could plunge the occupied West Bank into chaos. |
| 1:57.0 | That's why this week on the inquiry, we're asking, what's next for Palestinian leadership? |
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