Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced a constitutional amendment on Sunday, allowing the vice president of the PA, Hussein al-Sheikh, to act as interim president of the PA for a few months in the case of Abbas's death or incapacitation, Israeli media reported Sunday.
According to the new clause, elections for a new president will be held over a three-month period, during which Sheikh would act as president.
Who is Hussein al-Sheikh?
Abbas named Sheikh as his deputy and likely successor back in April 2025, a step widely seen as needed to assuage international doubts over Palestinian leadership.
Sheik, born in 1960, is a veteran of Fatah, the main Palestinian Liberation Organization faction founded by Arafat and 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 Abbas's nomination, the PLO said in a statement.