Who Is Hussein Al-Sheikh, Front-Runner To Succeed Palestinian President Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday appointed his close aide, Hussein al-Sheikh, as the first-ever vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). While the appointment does not guarantee al-Sheikh's succession to the presidency, it positions him as the leading candidate among veteran politicians in the dominant Fatah party.

Who is Hussein al-Sheikh?

• Hussein al-Sheikh was born in 1960 in Ramallah, Palestine, into a refugee family.
• Between 1978 and 1989, al-Sheikh was detained by Israeli forces for 11 years. During his imprisonment, he learned Hebrew.
• Al-Sheikh became a member of the Unified National Command of the First Intifada (1988).
• After the Oslo Accords, al-Sheikh served briefly as a colonel in the Preventive Security Division. He was later appointed as the Secretary-General of Fatah in the West Bank in 1999.
• In 2007, al-Sheikh became the head of the General Authority of Civil Affairs, a position he held until February 2025. He was responsible for managing civilian matters and coordinating with Israeli authorities.
• Al-Sheikh served as the Minister for the Coordination of Civil Affairs from 2013 to 2019, while retaining his ministerial rank after his term ended.
• After the 2014 Gaza war, he was appointed the Palestinian Authority's representative on the Gaza Reconstruction Committee, alongside Israeli and Egyptian representatives.
• Hussein Al-Sheikh was first elected to the Fatah Central Committee in 2009 and has been re-elected in 2016, where he has served as the official spokesperson for Fatah.
• In 2022, al-Sheikh became a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). Later that year, he was appointed Secretary-General of the PLO and Head of the Negotiations Affairs Department.
• Al-Sheikh has represented President Abbas in international meetings, including with Gulf Arab countries and the United States. He met with Donald Trump's Mideast envoy earlier this year in Saudi Arabia, AP reported.
• In 2017, al-Sheikh became a member of the Palestinian National Dialogue Committee, specifically handling the file of reconciliation.
• He serves as the president of Al-Bireh's youth sports club since 2010.
• In 2012, he was voted "Best Palestinian Public Figure" in opinion polls.