The PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) Central Council is expected in the coming week to vote on appointing a deputy to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Palestinian Authority denied that the move was drven by external pressures, and Abbas's close advisor, Mahmoud al-Habbash, clarified, "The creation of the deputy chairman position is an idea that Mahmoud Abbas first proposed 20 years ago, and the Palestinian Legislative Council at the time did not respond to this idea."