As the Palestinian president marks his 90th birthday, his authority is eroding amid internal discontent, Israeli pressure, and exclusion from pivotal post-war plans for Gaza.
CAIRO – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas turned 90 on Saturday, presiding over a Palestinian Authority (PA) that is increasingly marginalized, deeply unpopular at home, and sidelined by Israel in critical discussions over the future of Gaza.
Now the world’s second-oldest serving president, Abbas has spent two decades in office without holding elections, leaving many Palestinians feeling leaderless during what they see as an existential crisis. His strategy of pursuing statehood through negotiation and security cooperation with Israel has yielded few gains, with hopes for an independent state at a historic low.
According to a recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, a staggering 80% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza want Abbas to resign. His credibility has been further damaged by Israel’s consistent refusal to allow the PA a role in governing a post-war Gaza, a plan backed by the United States.
“His legitimacy was depleted long ago,” said pollster Khalil Shikaki. “He has become a liability to his own party, and for the Palestinians as a whole.”
A Legacy of Eroding Power
Abbas’s authority, already limited to isolated enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has been crippled by a choking Israeli grip on the territory’s economy and resources. While his policy of security coordination with Israel was intended to build goodwill for peace talks, many Palestinians now view the PA as a subcontractor of the occupation.
“This has chosen to put itself hand-in-hand with the Israeli occupation, even as [Israel] acts to make it more fragile and weaker,” said Abdaljawad Omar, a professor at Bir Zeit University.
The situation is compounded by internal discontent. Abbas has been accused of suppressing political rivals and failing to foster a new generation of leadership. Despite recent gestures toward reform, including a promise of elections, widespread skepticism remains. Analysts suggest that any genuine democratic process could see Hamas gain influence or the victory of imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, leaving Abbas a distant third.
With the PA weakened and excluded from Gaza’s future, Palestinians face the prospect of a leadership vacuum, leaving them with little voice in determining their own fate amid the ongoing conflict.
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