The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has announced the creation of a vice presidency under long-time leader Mahmoud Abbas, 89, as questions intensify over future leadership and governance reforms in the Palestinian territories.
Following a two-day meeting, the PLO’s Central Council voted on Thursday to establish the position of Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee, who will also carry the title of Vice President of the State of Palestine.
While no timeline or selection process has been publicly defined, the role is expected to serve as a potential stepping stone for Abbas’s eventual successor.
President Abbas, who has led both the PLO and the Palestinian Authority (PA) for the past two decades, is expected to appoint the vice president from among the 15 members of the Executive Committee.
The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of the PA’s legitimacy and effectiveness, particularly as international actors look toward post-war governance in Gaza.
The PLO remains the internationally recognised representative of the Palestinian people, while the PA maintains limited administrative control over parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The rival faction Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007 and remains outside the PLO framework, rejected the latest developments.
On Thursday, senior Hamas official Basem Naim condemned Abbas for remarks made a day earlier in which he referred to Hamas as “sons of dogs” and urged the group to release Israeli captives and disarm.
“Abbas repeatedly and suspiciously lays the blame for the crimes of the occupation and its ongoing aggression on our people,” Naim stated.
Abbas’s decision to establish a clear line of succession is widely seen as an attempt to placate both international donors and domestic critics.
The PA has faced mounting allegations of corruption, inefficiency, and poor governance, and polls show sharply declining support for Abbas and his Fatah party.
The move also comes amid a renewed Israeli military offensive on Gaza, which resumed on March 18. While efforts by Egypt and Qatar to mediate a ceasefire continue, progress remains limited.
A Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo for negotiations, as Abbas attempts to reassert political relevance in the shifting Palestinian landscape.
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