Is the Fatah movement's choice of Mahmoud al-Aloul as deputy to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas surprising? It depends on whom you ask.

Many West Bank residents paid close attention to Fatah's recent internal elections on the chance of getting a hint about who will one day succeed the 81-year-old president. They were certainly surprised to see Aloul “dropped into the post.” He is a relatively unknown figure who has not held a senior position in the movement for years. One group that was not surprised by the decision was the cadre of Fatah veterans. Over the years, they have learned, often with their flesh, that Abbas will do everything and use every means to distance anyone who might pose the slightest shadow of a threat to his leadership.

Aloul — a former Nablus governor, member of the Fatah Central Committee since 2009 and head of the Tanzim, Fatah's military wing, in the West Bank — is considered a hawk. Following the abduction and murder of three Israeli teens in the Etzion settlement bloc in June 2014, Aloul claimed that it was all part of an Israeli ploy to bring down the Fatah-Hamas unity government. Members of Fatah told Al-Monitor that the election of a hawk as Abbas' deputy at a time when the president is trying to give the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah a more moderate, pragmatic image is bewildering.

Although he is the head of the Tanzim, Aloul has no base of supporters. He certainly lacks the power base of someone like Jibril Rajoub, who spent his years in the PA actively recruiting a base of supporters who would follow him through fire and water. Regardless of whether they were surprised by the choice, everyone admits that Aloul lacks the charisma needed to one day become the leader of the movement. At this stage, however, that is precisely his greatest advantage. He does not pose a threat to Abbas. In fact, throughout his years in Fatah, Aloul has failed to show the kind of desire for leadership that would keep Abbas awake at night.