Palestinian President Abbas appoints aide as deputy and potential successor

New post follows years of international pressure to reform the Palestinian Authority

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed a close aide as the first Deputy President of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, positioning him as a possible successor to the veteran leader.

Hussein Al Sheikh was appointed by Mr Abbas, 89, after the vice presidency position was created during a convention held in Ramallah this week. The new post follows years of international pressure to reform the PLO and comes as Arab and western powers envision an expanded role for the Palestinian Authority in the post-war governance of Gaza.

"The executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation officially approved today the nomination of Hussein Al Sheikh as deputy chairman of the executive committee of the PLO and Deputy President of the State of Palestine," official Palestinian news agency Wafa said.

Founded in 1964, the PLO is empowered to negotiate and sign international treaties on behalf of the Palestinian people, while the PA is responsible for governance in parts of the Palestinian territories. The PLO is an umbrella organisation comprising several Palestinian factions, but not the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which are at war with Israeli forces in Gaza.

Mr Al Sheikh, 64, is a veteran leader of Mr Abbas's Fatah movement, which dominates the PA, and is considered close to the President.

Hussein Al Sheikh was appointed on Saturday. AFP

He spent more than 10 years in Israeli detention in the late 1970s and early 1980s, during which he learned Hebrew. In 2022, he was became the PLO executive committee's secretary-general and head of its negotiations department, a sensitive portfolio, demonstrating his close ties to Mr Abbas. Mr Abbas also recently appointed him as the head of a committee overseeing Palestinian diplomatic missions abroad.

Saudi Arabia welcomed Mr Abbas appointing a deputy.

"These reform steps will strengthen Palestinian political efforts ... foremost among them the right to self-determination through the establishment of their independent state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.

In March, at a summit in Cairo about Gaza's post-war future, Mr Abbas announced that he would create a vice presidency within the PLO.

He has been head of the PA since 2005 following the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The following year, he was elected to a four-year term, with no presidential vote since.

According to Palestinian officials, in the event of Mr Abbas's death or resignation, the deputy president would be expected to become the acting head of the PLO and of the State of Palestine, which is recognised by nearly 150 countries.

Mr Abbas had presented a proposal for creating the deputy president post during a PLO convention this week, but it was opposed by several factions who walked out. They argued that the initiative threatened the PLO's sovereignty and was a sign of foreign interference.

The PA is on the brink of financial collapse and, following the Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, several international donors have increasingly insisted that financial support be tied to political and institutional reforms.

On Wednesday, Mr Abbas argued that creating a vice presidency would strengthen Palestinian institutions and bolster international recognition of the Palestinian state.

Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim gave the appointment of Mr Al Sheikh a frosty reception.

"The Palestinian people are not a herd to be imposed upon leaders with dubious history who have tied their present and future to the occupation," he said in a statement.

"Legitimacy is held only by the Palestinian people, and its tools are the rifle for resisting the occupation, and the ballot box. The guardianship over our people is long gone."