Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a speech by telephone from his office in Ramallah on Wednesday, in an apparent attempt to quell rumors about his medical condition.
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The 87-year-old leader suffers from heart problems and overcame prostate cancer over 10 years ago. His health has been noticeably deteriorating, and he routinely undergoes medical checks abroad, away from the public eye, but he has been adamant about remaining in office.
Speculation about Abbas' health has been rife for years. The latest rumor was sparked when BBC Arabic published an unsourced report last week that Hussein al-Sheikh, a close associate of the PA leader, was given certain responsibilities due to Abbas' deteriorating condition.
The report was later deleted from the BBC's website and Twitter account.
Al-Sheikh immediately denied the report information, describing it as "an attempt to falsify the internal Palestinian situation."
Wednesday's speech was Abbas' first public appearance since that report.
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The Palestinian Authority's leader has been in office since 2005 after winning a four-year term. No presidential elections have taken place over the past 17 years, as Abbas repeatedly finds excuses for canceling them, and to date, no one has been able to successfully challenge him for the role.
The line of succession at the PA in the event of Abbas' death in office remains unclear, which could plunge the Palestinian leadership into chaos.
Following the death of top Fatah official and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in 2020, al-Sheikh has emerged as a potential successor to the ailing Abbas, but he faces strong opposition within Fatah, where others who are senior to him see themselves as the rightful successors, most notably Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
