Hussein al-Sheikh

Hussein al-Sheikh is a Palestinian politician who has served as the first vice president of Palestine since 26 April 2025. He has also served as the secretary general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization from 25 May 2022 to 26 April 2025.

Biography

Hussein al-Sheikh was born in Ramallah on 14 December 1960 during a period of the Jordanian annexation of the West Bank. He spent 11 years in Israeli prisons during his youth, during which he learned Hebrew.

Political career

Al-Sheikh headed he General Authority of Civil Affairs of the Palestinian National Authority since 2007. He was first elected as a member of the Central Committee of Fatah in 2008.
On 25 June 2022, the Executive Committee of the PLO reaffirmed al-Sheikh as secretary general and head of the Negotiations Affairs Department of the PLO.
On 25 April 2025, Mahmoud Abbas, the President of Palestine, appointed al-Sheikh as Vice President and deputy chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO. Al-Sheikh's appointment was controversial, with many Palestinians seeing him as unpopular, corrupt, and too close to Israel.