Damascus will host an Arab summit conference next week that is intended to be the alternative to the U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference slated for the end of the month. The Israeli news site Ynet is quoting a Palestinian source as saying that the Damascus conferees will discuss the creation of an alternative leadership structure to bypass the Palestinian Authority, PLO and Mahmoud ‘Abbas. Among the groups planning to attend are Islamic Jihad, Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the PFLP-General Command. Palestinian groups that will meet in Damascus are reported to be considering creating a new government body to replace the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in order to undercut the authority of P.A. Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas. The source was quoted as saying that, "No Palestinian views the PLO as a legitimate representative body and certainly not one that represents the Palestinian people."