| Submit your comments on this article |
| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Abbas names Hussein al-Sheikh as temporary replacement if he is unable to serve |
| 2025-10-27 |
| [IsraelTimes] Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a presidential decree stating that if he can no longer fulfill his role, and in the absence of a Palestinian Legislative Council, the position will be filled temporarily by the deputy chairman of the PLO Executive Committee, Hussein al-Sheikh. The Palestinian Legislative Council has not been active since the Hamas terror group seized power by force in Gaza in 2007. According to the Palestinian Basic Law, in the event of incapacity due to illness or death, the PA president is supposed to be replaced by the speaker of the Legislative Council. In November 2024, Abbas issued a decree amending the law, appointing Rawhi Fattouh, a senior Fatah official with little popular backing, as his temporary successor. At the time, the move was seen as intended to prevent the chairmanship from passing to Aziz Dweik, the Hamas-affiliated speaker of the defunct Legislative Council. The 89-year-old Abbas’s new decree cancels Fattouh’s appointment and stipulates that al-Sheikh will replace him in the event of incapacity. Al-Sheikh was appointed as Abbas’s deputy in the PLO last April — the first such appointment in nearly 50 years. Related: Mahmoud Abbas 10/25/2025 Palestinian factions agree to hand Gaza to technocrat committee Mahmoud Abbas 10/24/2025 The return of Hamas: With wave of executions, terror group reasserts control in Gaza ​ Mahmoud Abbas 10/16/2025 Senior US military official tells Hamas to halt executions after Trump downplays, 2 Gazans toes up after approached IDF in north Related: Hussein al-Sheikh 10/12/2025 Release of hostages set to begin Monday morning, Hamas and Israel say Hussein al-Sheikh 09/13/2025 Palestinian vice president welcomes UN move to revive two-state deal, Israel lambastes it Hussein al-Sheikh 07/23/2025 Hamstrung PA weighs options as Israel continues to withhold its much-needed funds |
| Posted by:trailing wife |