Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has named a veteran aide and confidant as his new vice president. It’s a major step by the aging leader to designate a successor.

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has named a deputy and likely successor, Middle East Eye reported. Hussein al-Sheikh was appointed vice president of the state of Palestine and the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) - two newly created positions.

The creation of the PLO vice presidency is seen as a key step toward leadership reform and succession planning