Mahmoud Abbas
PER
Abbas Mahmoud Abbas
The Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, is seeking to co-opt the militants who have been fighting Israel, and the election is sure to bring at least a few of them into Parliament. Mr. Abbas has repeatedly called on Al Aksa to lay down its weapons, but the various Al Aksa factions have largely ignored his call and have been responsible for much of the internal Palestinian chaos, like taking over government offices and election centers to demand jobs. At Mr. Abbas's urging, a large number of militants have been incorporated into the Palestinian security forces in the past year, and the Islamic faction Hamas is taking part in national elections for the first time. Mr. Abbas hopes that these steps will persuade the militants to join his effort to restore order in the Palestinian areas and revive peace talks with Israel. Mahmoud Abbas was the Palestinian leader, who is seeking to co-opt the militants who have been fighting Israel, and the election is sure to bring at least a few of them into Parliament. He has repeatedly called on Al Aksa to lay down its weapons, but numerous Al Aksa factions have largely ignored his call and have been responsible for much of the internal Palestinian chaos, like taking over government offices and election centers to demand jobs.