Intel officials: Annapolis failure may lead to Abbas's overthrow by Hamas

Top intelligence officials said on Wednesday that failure at the Annapolis conference would weaken Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and could enable Hamas to take his place, Army Radio reported. The heads of Mossad, Shin Bet and IDF intelligence spoke to ministers and other members of the Security cabinet who convened to discuss the security implications of the conference, which is set to take place next week, and of negotiations which are planned to begin afterwards. On Tuesday, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that a popular uprising, or intifada, was unlikely to erupt if the conference failed.