The Palestinian Central Council will hold an extraordinary meeting to establish the position of vice president to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The meeting, set for April 23 and 24, will cap a series of reforms and changes to the Palestinian Authority (PA) that Abbas had kicked off in recent weeks under internal and foreign pressure prompted by Israel’s war on Gaza.
Some 180 members of the council have been invited to the meeting in Ramallah where they will establish the new post, but not necessarily name a person to fill it.
Abbas had announced during an emergency Arab summit in Cairo in March that he was forging ahead with changes in the PA, revealing that he will name a vice president for Palestine and for the Palestine Liberation Organization.
He also said he will restructure leadership frameworks in the state and pump new blood in the PLO, Fatah and state agencies.
The National Council, which acts as the Palestinian parliament, had in 2018 tasked the Central Council with assuming its duties.
The Council meeting will also discuss efforts to reclaim Gaza and national unity.
Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that discussions are underway over whether the post of vice president and the appointment of a figure should take place during the meeting; or whether the appointment should take place at a later date.
Regardless of the decision, what matters is that the decision to establish the post has been taken, said the sources, explaining that it meets local and international calls for reforms.
Debate had raged for years over the establishment of the position given Abbas’ age – 90 – but the war on Gaza has forced him to take decisive steps.
Arab countries have conditioned any support to the PA in Gaza after the war to it introducing wide-scale reforms and changes. The US has been making the call for years, but Abbas has repeatedly avoided the issue.
