Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has nominated his close aide, Hussein al-Sheikh, as Vice President and potential successor of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the PLO announced on Saturday. The move is seen as an effort to address international concerns about the future of Palestinian leadership.
Eighty-nine-year-old Abbas has led the PLO and the Palestinian Authority (PA) since the death of Yasser Arafat in 2004. For years, Abbas avoided appointing a successor or introducing major internal reforms. Born in 1960, Al-Sheikh is a veteran leader of the Fatah party, founded by Arafat and currently led by Abbas. He is viewed as a pragmatic figure who maintains working relations with Israel.
According to a PLO statement, Al-Sheikh was made Vice President after approval by the Executive Committee. The United States and Gulf Arab countries have been pressuring for reforms in the PA, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. These countries hope to see the PA play a central role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The pressure for reform intensified after the outbreak of war in Gaza, where Hamas, the PLO’s main rival, has been fighting Israel for over 18 months. The U.S. has floated the idea of the PA administering Gaza after the war, while Gulf Arab countries demand significant reforms before offering financial support for Gaza’s reconstruction.
Call for Disarming Hamas
While Israel aims to destroy Hamas, it opposes any significant PA involvement in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea of establishing a Palestinian state. In 2007, Hamas ousted the PA from Gaza after a brief civil conflict, taking control of the territory and promoting an Islamist ideology.
During a meeting of the PLO’s Central Council held on Wednesday and Thursday, Abbas called for Hamas to fully disarm and hand over governance of Gaza to the PA. However, widespread corruption, lack of progress toward Palestinian statehood, and Israeli military actions in the West Bank have weakened the PA’s popularity.
The PA, formed following the 1993 Oslo Accords with Israel, last held parliamentary elections in 2005. Al-Sheikh, who was imprisoned by Israel between 1978 and 1989 for anti-occupation activities, has served as the PA’s chief coordinator with the Israeli government and has acted as a key envoy in discussions with global powers.