In addition to being the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, the 89-year-old leader of both, is in good hands.
Following years of international pressure to reform the PLO, which was brought to attention by Arab and Western actors who saw the PA playing a bigger role in the Gaza Strip’s post-war administration, al-Sheikh was appointed.
Al-Sheikh’s appointment was approved on Saturday during the 32nd session of the Palestinian Central Council, which took place earlier this week.
Al-Sheikh’s profession
Al-Sheikh, 64, is a seasoned member of Abbas’s Fatah movement, which is viewed as close to the president.
Abbas has “groomed for the past 18 years,” according to Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst.
According to Bishara, “Heal-Sheikh] has been in place since 2007 when Abbas resurrected following the division between Gaza and the occupied West Bank,” noting that the new deputy leader has been the primary liaison with Israel on security issues.
More than they trust Abbas, the Israelis know him and trust him.
He has been in charge of the General Authority of Civil Affairs, which oversees a lot of cooperation with Israel in the occupied West Bank, since 2007.
He became the secretary-general and head of the negotiations division of the PLO Executive Committee in 2022, demonstrating his close ties to Abbas.
Additionally, Abbas recently appointed him to lead a committee that oversees Palestinian diplomatic missions abroad.
Early life
Al-Sheikh was born in Ramallah in 1960 to a merchant family that had fled their village as a result of the 1948 Nakba’s ethnic cleansing.
At the age of six, he witnessed Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, which likely prompted him to enlist in Fatah. From 1978 to 1988, he spent 10 years in prison after Israel released him from prison.
He was able to negotiate with Israel in the future by learning Hebrew while he was imprisoned.
He stayed with Fatah and rose up the ranks after his release.
He has two sons and four daughters.
What follows?
The deputy chair would be expected to take over as acting head of the PLO and the State of Palestine, which are recognized by nearly 150 nations, in the event of Abbas’s passing or resignation.
Within the PLO, there are growing concerns that Israel might use Abbas’s departure and a potential power vacuum.
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, greeted al-Sheikh’s visitation with a chilly reception.
He said in a statement, “The Palestinian people are not a herd that has imposed on them leaders with a dubious history who have ties to the occupation today and tomorrow.”
The Palestinian people alone have the authority to rule our country, according to the statement.
A number of Palestinian political parties are incorporated into the PLO as a whole. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, who are currently fighting Israeli forces in Gaza and disagree with Abbas, are not included in the list.
Source: Aljazeera
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