Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today appointed aide and confidant Hussein al-Sheikh as his new vice president, a major step in determining a potential successor.
Although al-Sheikh's appointment as vice chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) does not guarantee that he will be the next Palestinian president, it makes him a favorite among other politicians and figures in the Fatah party who could succeed the now 89-year-old Abbas.
Abbas had hoped to play a leading role in post-war Gaza, but he was under pressure from Western and Arab allies to reform the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank.
The PLO is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people and oversees the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
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