During a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the name of his close ally, Hussein al-Sheikh, as the PLO’s Vice President and his potential successor.
This move is seen as a crucial step to ease international concerns about the future of Palestinian leadership.
Since the death of veteran leader Yasser Arafat in 2004, the 89-year-old Abbas has led both the PLO and the Palestinian Authority (PA). However, he had long resisted internal reforms and the naming of a successor—until now.
Born in 1960, Hussein al-Sheikh is a senior figure in the Fatah party, which is currently headed by Abbas. Known as a pragmatic leader, al-Sheikh has strong ties with Israeli officials.
Following the approval of Abbas’s nomination by the PLO Executive Committee, al-Sheikh was officially announced as the organization’s Vice President, according to a PLO statement.
The Palestinian Authority, which holds limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has long been under pressure from the U.S. and Gulf countries to reform. These international players hope that a reformed PA can play a central role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The pressure for reform has intensified since the outbreak of war in Gaza. The ongoing 18-month-long war between Hamas and Israel has left Gaza in ruins. The U.S. envisions a reformed PA taking over governance in post-war Gaza, a view shared by key Gulf states likely to contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction.
Israel, however, aims to eliminate Hamas entirely and is unwilling to give the PA any role in Gaza’s future governance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has clearly stated his opposition to the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, has controlled Gaza since 2007, after defeating the PA in a brief civil war following their 2006 election victory. Hamas still maintains a notable presence in the West Bank as well.
While the PLO’s Central Council had approved the creation of the Vice President role during meetings last Wednesday and Thursday, no individual was named until now.
In that meeting, President Abbas made his clearest call yet for the full disarmament of Hamas and for transferring governance of Gaza to the PA.
Despite these developments, public support for the PA has waned due to allegations of widespread corruption, lack of progress toward Palestinian statehood, and increasing Israeli military operations in the West Bank.
The PA was established through the Oslo Accords with Israel in 1993 and has since been under Fatah’s control. The last parliamentary elections were held in 2005.
Hussein al-Sheikh was imprisoned by Israel from 1978 to 1989 for his involvement in anti-occupation activities. He has since served as the top PA official responsible for liaising with the Israeli government under Mahmoud Abbas.
