Egypt Daily News – On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appointed senior Fatah official Hussein Al-Sheikh as his deputy in the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a move widely seen as laying the groundwork for Abbas’s eventual succession, and as a response to mounting international pressure for internal reforms.
The decision follows Abbas’s pledge at the emergency Arab summit in Cairo on March 4 to restructure the leadership frameworks of the PLO and Fatah, and to inject new energy into Palestinian institutions. This was part of a broader effort to revitalize Palestinian political life after years of stagnation. Since then, Abbas has initiated a series of administrative changes, most notably within the Palestinian security services.
These internal reforms coincide with the Arab leaders’ adoption of a plan at the summit to rebuild the Gaza Strip, which included calls for the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza and the unification of the Palestinian ranks under the banner of the PLO. The organization remains the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people, encompassing most factions except for Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both of which have been engaged in a prolonged and devastating war with Israel for over 18 months.
The appointment of Al-Sheikh was welcomed by Saudi Arabia, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing support for the Palestinian leadership’s reform efforts. The statement praised the creation of the position of Deputy Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee and Deputy President of the State of Palestine, and wished Al-Sheikh success in his new role.
These developments come amid growing Arab and international calls for deep reforms within Palestinian institutions, as the region prepares for a post-war governance structure in Gaza, potentially involving a larger role for the Palestinian Authority.
President Abbas currently holds three key positions: he is the Chairman of the PLO, President of the State of Palestine, and head of the Palestinian Authority, which was established under the Oslo Accords. Many Palestinian officials and analysts view Al-Sheikh’s appointment as a major step toward positioning him as Abbas’s likely successor at the helm of the PLO and possibly as a leading candidate for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority, should future elections be held.
This succession trajectory gained further momentum last Thursday when the 188-member Palestinian Central Council voted in favor of creating the position of vice president, reinforcing plans for a structured transfer of power.
Hussein Al-Sheikh, 64, has a long political career. Born in Ramallah to a refugee family from the village of Deir Tarif, he spent over a decade in Israeli prisons between the late 1970s and early 1980s. He later emerged as a key political and administrative figure, heading the General Authority of Civil Affairs—the body responsible for day-to-day coordination with Israel—and speaks fluent Hebrew, a skill he acquired during his imprisonment.
In 2020, Al-Sheikh took over the PLO’s negotiations portfolio following the death of Saeb Erekat. In 2022, he was appointed Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee. More recently, President Abbas tasked him with overseeing Palestinian embassies abroad, further signaling the increasing trust placed in him within the political system.
