PA: Trump's COVID-19 was made up to gain sympathy, avoid next Biden debate

"I’m certain that if [Joe] Biden or any other president rises ‎‎[to power], the first thing that person will do is to declare that the [Trump’s] ‎deal of the century is off the table."

By SARAH CHEMLA
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the West Bank May 19, 2020 (photo credit: ALAA BADARNEH/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the West Bank May 19, 2020
(photo credit: ALAA BADARNEH/POOL VIA REUTERS)
The Palestinian Authority's official newspaper, al-Hayat al-Jadida, has run a front page editorial claiming that US President Donald Trump may have "fabricated" his coronavirus infection "to win sympathy, and to avoid ‎future debates with his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden," according to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW).
Under the headline “Trump's ‎corona - false claims and expectations,” the paper claimed that the fact that Trump’s infection was announced shortly after his debate with ‎Biden “which Trump turned into the worst debate in history,” makes it logical that Trump ‎wants to avoid future debates by feigning illness.
The editorial added that if Trump happens to actually be sick, "perhaps we can aspire that the suffering caused by this disease will cause ‎the American president to re-examine the erroneous and aggressive policies towards humanity ‎and its just causes, which he represents while he fuels racist extremist ideas, and sides with ‎falsehood against truth, and with occupation against liberation and freedom."
 
Ironically, the PA-run daily also published on the same page comments by Saeb Erekat, the ‎Secretary of the PLO Executive Committee, who told CNN that "President ‎Mahmoud Abbas wishes US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania a speedy ‎and full recovery‏.‏‎”‎
Reflecting these comments, the editorial ended in a more appeasing way, saying: "Coronavirus is a disease that we do not ‎wish for the creatures of Allah wherever they are, and we pray for the speedy recovery ‎of all those infected‏.‏‎” They also acknowledged that "whether or not the US president has caught coronavirus," they do not want to base their analysis "on wishful thinking."
According to Palestinian Media Watch, this may be a reference to the fact that the Palestinian Authority has already made it clear that they hope for a Biden election victory, which they expect to ‎completely change US policy in the region and end the US peace proposal.
Their position has previously been made very clear by Erekat, who in September said: "I’m certain that if [Joe] Biden or any other president rises ‎‎[to power], the first thing that person will do is to declare that the [Trump’s] ‎deal of the century is off the table, because they have issued statements."