Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed a new deputy in a major step in naming a successor

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appointed longtime aide Hussein al-Sheikh as vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization, a move seen as positioning a potential successor. Though this does not secure al-Sheikh's future as president, he is now the leading candidate among Fatah party members. Abbas, under pressure to reform the Palestinian Authority and enhance its image, hopes to influence postwar Gaza and has initiated reforms. The new structure requires the PLO's executive committee approval for succession, while separate leadership dynamics exist within the Palestinian Authority.

"Abbas hopes to play a major role in postwar Gaza. He has been under pressure from Western and Arab allies to rehabilitate the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank."

"The appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization does not guarantee he will be the next Palestinian president, but it makes him the front-runner among longtime politicians in the dominant Fatah party."

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