Saudi Arabia welcomes Palestinian leadership reforms and appointment of PLO vice-chairman

Saudi Arabia has welcomed the new reform measures adopted by the Palestinian leadership, as reflected in the appointment of the first vice-chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Welcoming this move, the Kingdom's foreign ministry wished Hussein al-Sheikh, the latest appointee from the PLO, "success in his new duties," foreign media wrote, according to the Telegraph.

"The Kingdom affirmed that these reform steps will enhance Palestinian political efforts and contribute to the realization of the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, primarily among them the right to self-determination through the establishment of an independent state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital," the ministry said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appointed al-Sheikh, a close aide, as deputy chairman of the PLO on Saturday.

Al-Sheikh's appointment could pave the way for him as a possible successor to veteran leader Abbas.

Abbas, 89, created the position of vice president during a convention held in Ramallah last week.

The PLO is an umbrella organization that includes several Palestinian factions, but not Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the militant groups currently at war with Israeli forces in Gaza. /Telegraph