Abbas appoints aide as potential PLO successor

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas appointed a close aide as the first-ever vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) on Saturday, positioning him as a potential successor to the veteran leader.

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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 Mr Abbas’s Palestinian Authority (PA) in the post-war governance of the Gaza Strip.

“Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas appointed Hussein al-Sheikh as a deputy (vice president) of the PLO leadership,” a member of the organisation's executive committee, Wasel Abu Yousef, told AFP.

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 currently at war with Israeli forces in Gaza. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim gave the appointment a frosty reception.