Who is Hussein Al-Sheikh, the new Palestinian Authority vice president?
Hussein Al-Sheikh is often portrayed as a moderate by the international community, and he was appointed last weekend by Mahmoud Abbas as the new vice president of the Palestinian Authority. Palestinian Media Watch has long been reporting how his statements and activities reveal support for terrorism, glorification of terrorists, promotion of terrorism through Pay-for-Slay, and support for unity with Hamas, even after October 7, 2023.
PMW Director Itamar Marcus elaborated further on this yesterday on ILTV Israel News.
Whether this was an attempt by Abbas to name a successor or just another attempt at portraying a "revitalized" PA, as demanded by the international community, Al-Sheikh, who was the secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee, reflects views and policies that are closely in line with the old PA leadership.
Support for Hamas
Al-Sheikh is committed to defending Hamas and portraying Israel as the true enemy. After proclaiming in November 2023 that "our arms are still open" to Hamas, Al-Sheikh in December 2023 denied ever saying that Hamas was "not a role model" and instead asserted that "the real terror is" Israel:
PLO Executive Committee Secretary Hussein Al-Sheikh: "I didn't say that Hamas is not a role model…
When the world spoke and demanded that Hamas be defined as a terror movement – who set out against the world? Was it not Mahmoud Abbas, who stood at the UN podium and said: ‘No, Hamas is not a terror movement'? The real terror is the occupation (i.e., Israel). The real terror is the settlement enterprise."
[Former Head of Fatah Commission of Information and Culture's Information Office Munir Al-Jaghoub, X (Twitter) account, Dec. 19, 2023]
Encouraging Armed Struggle Against Israel
Al-Sheikh has also called for all factions, including Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, "to fight this enemy [Israel] on all fronts, in all arenas"—terms used by PA leaders to include terror and violence:
PLO Executive Committee Secretary Hussein Al-Sheikh: "[Fatah] called on all the Palestinian national action factions (i.e., Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad) to create a broad front against the Israeli aggression. It is no secret that there is a quiet and calm dialogue between us and Hamas. I hope that this dialogue will succeed… You need to fight this enemy [Israel] on all fronts, in all arenas, without exception. You need to fight it on the ground and in the international organizations and authorities… The central topic in all the leadership's meetings is strengthening the Palestinian popular resistance against the occupation's army and the settler herds… This strengthens the Palestinian negotiator and doesn't weaken him. I said this before: Are we stopping anyone [from resisting]? Are we tying anyone's hands?"
[Official PA TV, Topic of the Day, Feb. 27, 2023]
Insistence on Rewarding Terrorists
Hussein Al-Sheikh is as insistent as Mahmoud Abbas about continuing the PA's Pay-for-Slay program and incentivizing terror attacks through financial rewards for terrorists and their families. In fact, he has invoked the same line used by Abbas that "even if we are left with one penny, it will be paid to the families of the Martyrs and the prisoners":
"In the speech he gave… on behalf of Fatah, PLO Executive Committee Secretary and Fatah Central Committee member Hussein Al-Sheikh emphasized the leadership's permanent and firm commitment, according to which our Martyrs, our prisoners, and their families are a red line – 'Even if we are left with one penny, it will be paid to the families of the Martyrs and the prisoners.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 8, 2023]
Personal glorification of terrorists
Al-Sheikh also has a history of honoring terrorist murderers. He met with terrorist murderer Karim Younes upon his release from prison. Al-Sheikh also mourned terrorist Walid Daqqa, who died of cancer while serving a life sentence for taking part in the kidnapping and brutal murder of Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam in 1984. Al-Sheikh described Daqqa as a "freedom-fighter" and lauded his "legacy of struggle and sacrifice" as an inspiration for future generations:
"Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Hussein Al-Sheikh mourned today freedom-fighter Walid Daqqa, who died in an Israeli prison today, after being exposed to the crime of medical negligence and the policy of deliberate slow death practiced by the Israeli Prison Service administration against Palestinian prisoners. He stressed that Israel ignores all international conventions, agreements, and human rights regarding prisoners, emphasizing in particular that it deprives them of their right to receive treatment. He considered it a full-fledged crime compounding the series of crimes of the Israeli occupation. He added that Daqqa left behind a legacy of struggle and sacrifice that will serve as a source of inspiration for future generations."
[WAFA, official PA news agency, English edition, April 7, 2024]
Hussein Al-Sheikh is far from a moderate and is not reflective of any sort of meaningful change within the Palestinian Authority, neither substantive nor even structural. On the contrary, he embodies the PA leadership's ongoing commitment to terrorism and demonization of Israel, even while engaging with international bodies under the pretense of diplomacy.