Abbas won’t seek 2nd term in office

Acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas says he will “not run for president” in an upcoming election and that he is seriously considering a tour of the Gaza Strip.

Abbas emphasized in an interview with the Al-Ayam newspaper on Sunday that he is determined about not running “for presidency for a second term,” adding that his decision was personal and based on his age and a need to rest.

He said that the jobs he and caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayadh are conducting are complementary. Fayadh, he said, is doing “a very good job” as far as the internal situation is concerned.

He also told the newspaper that he is serious about visiting the Gaza Strip and that achieving reconciliation would better prepare him to take this step.

Abbas noted that he has often reminded himself about the need to visit Gaza after reconciliation has been reached between Hamas and Fatah factions. “But mostly I think to go to there hoping that this visit could be useful,” he said.