Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas named close confidant Hussein al-Sheikh as his deputy and likely successor on Saturday, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said, a step widely seen as needed to assuage international doubts over Palestinian leadership.
Abbas, 89, has headed the PLO and the Palestinian Authority (PA) since the death of veteran leader Yasser Arafat in 2004, but he had for years resisted internal reforms, including the naming of a successor.
Sheik, born in 1960, is a veteran of Fatah, the main PLO faction which was founded by Arafat and is now headed by Abbas. He is widely viewed as a pragmatist with very close ties to Israel.
He was named PLO vice president after the organization's executive committee approved his nomination by Abbas, the PLO said in a statement.
Reform of the PA, which exercises limited autonomy in the West Bank, has been a priority for the United States and Gulf monarchies, hoping the body can play a central role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The positions that Al-Sheikh served
Al-Sheikh served as the Palestinian presidential adviser and was the Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee. In February, he co-signed a letter alongside five Arab foreign ministers that was sent to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in opposition to plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza, as suggested by President Donald Trump in late January.
In May of last year, Al-Sheikh attended a meeting with then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a group of senior Arab officials, which devolved into an unusual shouting match between him and the United Arab Emirates's foreign minister.
Al-Sheikh said that the Palestinian Authority was carrying out reforms and forming a new government as the US and Arab countries requested, but it was not receiving enough political and economic support, according to sources.
Two months later, he denounced the killing of Hamas leader's Ismail Haniyeh's death, saying it was a "cowardly act; this pushes us to remain more steadfast in the face of the occupation and the necessity of achieving the unity of the Palestinian forces and factions."
At a meeting of the PLO's Central Council on Wednesday and Thursday that approved the position of vice president without naming an appointee, Abbas made his clearest ever call for Hamas to completely disarm and hand its weapons - and responsibility for governing in Gaza - to the PA.
Widespread corruption, lack of progress towards an independent state and increasing Israeli military incursions in the West Bank have undermined the PA's popularity among many Palestinians.
The body has been controlled by Fatah since it was formed in the Oslo Accords with Israel in 1993 and it last held parliamentary elections in 2005.
Sheik, who was imprisoned by Israel for his activities opposing the occupation during the period 1978-89, has worked as the PA's main contact liaising with the Israeli government under Abbas and been his envoy on visits to world powers.
Walla contributed to this report.