Palestinian organizations in opposition to the Annapolis peace conference are weighing the possibility of electing a replacement body for the PLO in order to present an alternative to the leadership of current Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, a senior Palestinians official has told Ynet.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the PFLP-General Command as well as others are planning to participate in an assembly in Damascus next week to protest the Annapolis summit, the source claimed.
According to these 'anti-Annapolis' bodies, the peace conference "will lead to catastrophic results for the Palestinian people."
At the summit, the groups intend to highlight their opposition to such a peace conference and discuss a possible plan to establish an alternative leadership structure to replace the current government.
The new governing body would follow an agenda similar to the one Hamas has championed since its takeover of Gaza in June.
"No Palestinian views the PLO as a legitimate representative body and certainly not one that represents the Palestinian people," said the official.
"No Palestinian institution elected Abu Mazen (Abbas) as head of the PLO or as the Palestinian national president in place of Arafat, who was elected in `88."
According to the Palestinian 'opposition' official, there is already a candidate in mind to serve as a head of a new Palestinian leadership body. The source added however, that he was not sure if the decision would be made to establish the new ruling body during the assembly in Damascus next week.
Any final decision regarding the new leadership may be delayed so the threat of its formation could be used as a bargaining chip to pressure the PA in Ramallah, the source revealed.
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