Top Abbas Aide ‘Recorded Slamming Palestinian Authority President’

A senior associate of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been recorded condemning him and other members of the PA in recordings released Tuesday by political rivals Hamas.

According to the Associated Press, Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh can be heard saying that Abbas “is a partner in the chaos and has an interest for it to remain.” It is unclear, AP said, whether the chaos cited by al-Sheikh means the recent uptick in violence between Israelis and Palestinians or the wave of protests that erupted in the West Bank last year following the death of a PA critic in Palestinian custody.

Al-Sheikh can also be heard saying the president is upset by the attention Israel and the US have given to leading Palestinian politicians and slams those whom he says are planning for when the 87-year-old Abbas is no longer in charge.