A ‘Game of Thrones’ in Ramallah: Has Israel picked Abbas’s heir?
Hussein Al Sheikh
Yara Hawari writes in The New Arab on 15 July 2025:
At the beginning of May 2025, in a move that stunned many Palestinians, President Mahmoud Abbas appointed Hussein al-Sheikh as Deputy Chair of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Vice President of the State of Palestine.
Both titles, notably, did not exist before this appointment and were created by presidential decree. Overshadowed by the 12-day Israel-Iran war, the relentless massacres at aid distribution sites in Gaza, and the ongoing genocide, the announcement received little attention, both domestically and internationally.
Yet it marks a significant development, one that quietly lays the groundwork for what may come next. With no constitutional precedent or procedural legitimacy, these tailor-made roles now place al-Sheikh squarely in the line of succession to Abbas, the second-oldest serving president in the world.
While the timing of this move was unexpected, it follows a familiar pattern of increasing authoritarianism and paternalism within the Palestinian political system.
Predictably, some in the international community have publicly supported the move, including regional actors such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan. Indeed, it is reported that in the summer of 2024, Mohammed Bin Salman suggested the creation of such a position to Abbas.
The EU Representative Office in Palestine also welcomed the appointment, calling it “an important step in PA reform”. The EU has long claimed to champion reform of the Palestinian political system and has frequently called for elections, calls that many Palestinians view as mere lip service.