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On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas officially named his trusted ally, Hussein al-Sheikh, as his deputy, setting him up as the most likely successor. This move, announced by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), is seen as a much-needed step to reassure the international community about the future of Palestinian leadership, especially as Abbas, now 89 years old, has stubbornly resisted naming a successor for years.
Hussein al-Sheikh, born in 1960, is a longtime figure in Fatah, the main faction of the PLO. He’s known for being pragmatic and maintaining close working ties with Israeli officials, which makes him a somewhat controversial but important player. The PLO’s executive committee approved his nomination, officially making him vice president of the organization.
There’s been growing pressure, particularly from the United States and Gulf countries, for Abbas to reform the Palestinian Authority (PA), the body that oversees parts of the West Bank, and to show that it’s capable of eventually leading a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Al-Sheikh isn’t new to high-level politics. He’s served as a presidential adviser and as secretary-general of the PLO’s Executive Committee. He’s also been active on the international stage, pushing back against U.S. policies seen as hostile to Palestinians and sometimes clashing publicly with Arab leaders. Notably, he had a shouting match with the UAE’s foreign minister during a tense meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last year.
Even though the PA has promised reforms and the creation of a new government, al-Sheikh has complained that they haven’t received enough support, either politically or financially, from key allies. This lack of backing has left the PA vulnerable at a time when it’s already struggling with widespread corruption accusations, growing resentment among Palestinians, and frequent Israeli military raids in the West Bank.
At a recent PLO Central Council meeting, Abbas gave one of his strongest-ever statements demanding that Hamas, the group that governs Gaza, disarm and hand control of the territory over to the PA. But with the Palestinian Authority losing popularity and having not held parliamentary elections since 2005, it’s unclear whether these reforms and leadership changes will be enough to restore trust.
For context, Hussein al-Sheikh spent over a decade in Israeli prisons between 1978 and 1989 for his resistance activities. In more recent years, he’s acted as Abbas’ main liaison to the Israeli government and as his envoy to major international powers, positioning him as someone seen both as a survivor of the old struggles and as a bridge to the new, more complicated political reality.
*Source: Jpost.com
