Six years after it began representing public sector workers, the largest Palestinian employees’ union has been declared to be without standing. The decision was made by a committee appointed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The committee charged the union with “inflicting harm on Fatah leadership through media statements and opposition to PA policies and creation of a state of chaos and confusion in Palestinian public opinion, and in calling into question the abilities of the PA in world opinion.” The report was obtained by the Ma’an news agency. Sources in the PA describe the affair as a personal feud between President Abbas and union head Bassem Zakarneh. Casting doubt on the committee’s findings, Zakarneh told the news agency that the PA Minister of Labor attended recent union elections and endorsed the results.