Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is 86; with persistent rumors of his failing health circulating, and with no designated successor, his death could create a power vacuum in Ramallah.

And in a sign of how delicate and serious the situation is, an American delegation on Thursday visited the office of the PA minister of civil affairs and newly appointed secretary general of Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein al-Sheikh, for a meeting, according to a source in Ramallah who spoke on condition of anonymity.