Palestinian Leader Leaves for Medical Exam in Germany, Maan Says

(Bloomberg) --

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is headed to Germany via Jordan to undergo a medical examination, Maan news agency reported, without saying where it got the information.

Abbas’s office only reported that Abbas traveled to the Jordanian capital, Amman, where political tensions are high after the government said it uncovered a plot to destabilize the kingdom. “We pray to God Almighty to protect and care for Jordan and give it stability, security and safety,” Abbas said, according to a statement from his office.

Maan characterized the checkup as “routine,” but the health of the 85-year-old Abbas has been a cause for concern for years, especially in the absence of a clear successor. He’s undergone a cardiac catheterization, is a prostate cancer survivor and in 2018 visited a Baltimore hospital after appearing weak during a United Nations address.

There has been no obvious recent sign of any deterioration in his health.

The Palestinian president, who was elected in 2005 for a five-year term, has called for parliamentary elections in May and a presidential election in July.

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