Palestinian Authority Prepares for Potential Leadership Transition
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has outlined a plan for succession, naming hussein al-Sheikh as his potential temporary replacement. According to a decree published Sunday and reported by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, al-Sheikh would assume leadership of the Palestinian Authority for a period of up to 90 days should abbas become unable to fulfill his duties.
The decree stipulates that presidential elections should be held within this 90-day timeframe. The same process would be initiated in the event of Abbas’s resignation, though sources indicate no such move is currently anticipated.
Al-Sheikh, a close advisor to Abbas, was appointed Vice President in April of this year – a newly created position. Abbas, 89, succeeded Yasser Arafat, the founder of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), as President in 2005.That election remains the most recent presidential vote held in the Palestinian Territories.
The Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas and his Fatah movement, maintains a more moderate political stance compared to Hamas, the Islamist group that gained control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, forcibly removing Fatah from the territory. Currently, the Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-governance in portions of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but lacks authority over Israeli military decisions or the ongoing expansion of Jewish settlements within the region.
