Hamas: Appointing Sheikh as Abbas's vice president entrenches political monopoly

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) stated that the decision of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Executive Committee to approve the appointment of Hussein Al-Sheikh as vice president was a response to external dictates and an entrenchment of monopoly and exclusion.

In a press statement issued yesterday, Hamas said it considered this a reprehensible step, one that departs from national consensus and the will of the Palestinian people.

It stated that the decision reflects the insistence of the PLO’s leadership on continuing to disable its institutions, rather than “serving as a unifying umbrella for the struggle of our people”.

Hamas emphasised that the priority of the Palestinian people today is to stop the aggression, the war of genocide and starvation, and to unify efforts to confront the occupation and settlements, not to assign positions and divide power to please external parties.

It called on all Palestinian factions and forces to reject this step and adhere to rebuilding the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) on national and democratic foundations, free from dictates and influence, and in a manner that expresses the will of the people and serves their just cause.

On Thursday, at the conclusion of its 32nd session, the Palestinian Central Council decided to create the position of vice president of the PLO Executive Committee and of the State of Palestine. It was also decided that the vice president would be chosen from among the members of the Executive Committee, upon the nomination of the chairman of the committee and the approval of its members. The council can assign him duties, relieve him of his position and accept his resignation.

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