Palestine Liberation Organisation approves creation of Vice President position

Ramallah, April 25 The Palestine Liberation Organisation's (PLO) Central Council has approved the creation of the position of Vice President for its executive committee, media reported.

According to official news agency WAFA, the Vice President will be selected from the current members of the executive committee, following a nomination by the committee's chairman and approval by its members, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Chairman will also have the authority to assign duties, dismiss Vice Presidents, or accept their resignations, said the report.

The decision was adopted during a session of the PLO's Central Council held in the West Bank city of Ramallah, with the attendance of 170 members, including some via video link. One member voted against the move, while another abstained.

This marks the first time such a position has been established since the PLO's founding.

The initiative for a vice presidency was first announced by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during the emergency Arab summit in Cairo in early March, amid growing calls for reforms within the Palestinian political system.

The decision is seen as a significant development in shaping the next phase of the Palestinian political process.

The PLO has been holding a convention in Ramallah since Wednesday to thrash out various political issues.

Hamas criticised the convention, saying it "deepens division, reinforces unilateralism, and disappoints our people's hopes for unity".

"We in Hamas reject the continuation of this unilateral course and affirm our commitment to rebuilding the Palestine Liberation Organisation on national and democratic foundations," it said in a statement.

Several Palestinian factions in the West Bank walked out of the meet on Thursday after the proposal to create a vice presidency came up.

The groups argued the initiative threatened the PLO's sovereignty and was a sign of foreign interference.

The Palestinian National Initiative, a progressive political party, also left the session citing "external pressures".

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), another Marxist-Leninist movement, also walked out, saying the reform agenda was premature and lacked genuine consultation.

Out of 188 voting members of the PLO's central council, 170 were in favour of creating a vice presidency, according to Wafa.

The Palestinian Authority is teetering on the brink of financial collapse, and following the Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, several international donors have increasingly insisted financial support be tied to concrete political and institutional reforms.

On Wednesday, Abbas argued creating a vice presidency would strengthen Palestinian institutions and bolster international recognition of the Palestinian state.

Some analysts view the move as a calculated attempt by Abbas to project the appearance that he is decentralising power.

--IANS

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