Hussein al-Cheikh upon his arrival at the 32nd session of the Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), in Ramallah, on April 23, 2025. (Credit: Zain Jaafar/AFP)
It is an appointment that further tarnishes the reputation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Mahmoud Abbas on the Palestinian domestic scene. On Saturday, Abbas appointed one of his close advisers, Hussein al-Sheikh, to the newly created position of vice president. He is well placed to succeed the soon-to-be nonagenarian president and will likely be called upon to become the interim head of the various political factions led by Fatah upon the latter’s death. A few days earlier, several Palestinian factions announced they would boycott the convention organized in Ramallah to formally establish the position, citing perceived signs of foreign interference.These developments come as Abbas, who is also the head of the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Authority (PA), faces mounting pressure since the beginning of the war in Gaza...
It is an appointment that further tarnishes the reputation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Mahmoud Abbas on the Palestinian domestic scene. On Saturday, Abbas appointed one of his close advisers, Hussein al-Sheikh, to the newly created position of vice president. He is well placed to succeed the soon-to-be nonagenarian president and will likely be called upon to become the interim head of the various political factions led by Fatah upon the latter’s death. A few days earlier, several Palestinian factions announced they would boycott the convention organized in Ramallah to formally establish the position, citing perceived signs of foreign interference.These developments come as Abbas, who is also the head of the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Authority (PA), faces mounting pressure since the beginning of the war in...