Hussein al-Sheikh, deputy to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and holder of the title “Vice President of the State of Palestine," met on Friday in Ramallah with Nikolay Mladenov, the designated director-general of the Gaza Peace Council planned under the post-war “day after" framework proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The meeting was also attended by Major General Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian Authority’s General Intelligence Service; Majdi al-Khalidi, Abbas’s diplomatic adviser; and Aya Mahassin, head of the Vice President’s office.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the talks focused on implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in line with the Trump plan and UN Security Council Resolution 2803. Participants also discussed preparations for the anticipated announcement establishing the Peace Council, which is to be chaired by Trump and overseen by an executive committee.
Al-Sheikh emphasized the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to stabilizing the ceasefire, ensuring the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and advancing the second phase of the U.S.-backed plan.
He stressed that Gaza is an inseparable part of the future Palestinian state and said that administrative, political, and legal ties between Gaza institutions and those of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank must be preserved. This, he said, should be based on the principle of one governing authority, one legal system, and a single legitimate armed force.
The meeting also addressed the responsibilities of the Palestinian committee tasked with administering Gaza and the role of Palestinian security forces in maintaining order in the Strip, in coordination with international forces to be established under the Security Council resolution.
The Palestinian delegation underscored the need for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of militias, and the transfer of weapons to the Palestinian Authority as part of the second phase of the agreement. Under this framework, they said, Hamas’s rule would end and a comprehensive reconstruction process for Gaza would begin in accordance with the Trump plan.
Al-Sheikh further called for the avoidance of unilateral actions during the transitional period that violate international law, including settlement expansion and what he described as “settler violence." He also urged Israel to release tax revenues that have been withheld from the Palestinian Authority in recent years.