The unpopular and politically weak 90-year-old Palestinian leader struggles for a role in Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas turns 90 on Saturday, still holding authoritarian power in pockets of the West Bank. But he's marginalized and weakened by Israel, deeply unpopular among Palestinians, and struggling for a say in a postwar Gaza Strip. The world’s second-oldest serving president, Abbas has been in office for 20 years. For nearly the entire time has refused to hold elections. His weakness has left Palestinians leaderless, critics say, at a time when they face an existential crisis. The U.S. has bent to Israel’s refusal to allow Abbas’ Palestinian Authority to govern postwar Gaza. Critics fear fear Palestinians will be consigned to live under an international body dominated by Israel’s allies, with no path to statehood.