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64-721: The signatories included Fatah, headed by Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas, headed by Khalid Mash'al . A major point of disagreement between the large factions of Hamas and Fatah (including the PLO) was – and still is – that Fatah has formally denounced armed resistance, whereas Hamas still promotes armed struggle against the Israeli occupation . Yasser Arafat , the President of the Palestinian Authority , died on 11 November 2004. The Palestinian presidential election to fill

128-598: A unity government was formed incorporating members of both Hamas and Fatah, with Ismail Haniyeh as prime minister and independent politicians taking many key portfolios. On 14 June 2007, Abbas dissolved the Hamas-led unity government of Haniyeh, declared a state of emergency, and appointed Salam Fayyad in his place. This followed action by Hamas armed forces to take control of Palestinian Authority positions controlled by Fatah militias. The appointment of Fayyad to replace Haniyeh has been challenged as illegal, because under

192-548: A Hamas victory. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh formed a new PA government on 29 March 2006 comprising mostly Hamas members, after Fatah and other factions refused to join. Hamas continued not to recognize Israel and earlier agreements, leading to a substantial part of the international community, especially Israel, the United States and European countries, not to deal with the Hamas government and imposed sanctions. Following

256-595: A building company in Doha and died in Qatar of a heart attack in 2002 at the age of 42. The kunya of Abu Mazen means "father of Mazen." Their second son is Yasser Abbas , a Canadian businessman who was named after former PA leader Yasser Arafat . The youngest son is Tareq, a business executive. Abbas has eight grandchildren, six of whom are part of the Seeds of Peace initiative bringing them in touch with young Israelis. In

320-620: A candidate for the kind of leadership role envisaged by both countries. As one of the few remaining founding members of Fatah, he had some degree of credibility within the Palestinian cause, and his candidacy was bolstered by the fact that other high-profile Palestinians were for various reasons not suitable (the most notable, Marwan Barghouti , was a prisoner in Israeli jail after having been convicted on charges of being responsible for multiple murders by an Israeli court). Abbas's reputation as

384-413: A conversation took place. The specific quote he denied was, "I can't tell four million Palestinians only five thousand of them can go home," regarding the issue of Palestinian refugees. Abbas further said, "I'm not calling her a liar... I am saying we never had that conversation." In response, Rice denied that she fabricated it. Her chief of staff, Georgia Godfrey, wrote, "Dr. Rice stands by her account of

448-697: A crackdown in order to uphold the Palestinian Authority's side of the Road map for peace . This led to a power struggle with Arafat over control of the Palestinian Security Services ; Arafat refused to release control to Abbas, thus preventing him from using them on the militants. Abbas resigned as prime minister on 6 September 2003, citing lack of support from Israel and the United States as well as "internal incitement" against his government. After Yasser Arafat's death, Abbas

512-722: A direct challenge to his authority. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine launched a raid in Gaza on 12 January 2005, that killed one and wounded three Israeli military personnel. On 13 January, Palestinians from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades , Hamas , and the Popular Resistance Committees launched a suicide attack on the Karni crossing , killing six Israelis. As a result, Israel shut down

576-583: A document uncovered in the Mitrokhin Archive , where he is registered as agent "Krotov". Palestinian officials replied that at the time in question, the PLO collaborated with Moscow, and that Abbas was their liaison man in the Palestinian-Soviet friendship foundation. By early 2003, as Israel and the United States refused to negotiate with Yasser Arafat, it was thought that Abbas would be

640-554: A peace partner but consider [him] a nonthreatening, violence-abhorring, strategic asset." On 23 June 2016, Abbas repeated to the European Parliament a false press report that rabbis in Israel were calling for Palestinian wells to be poisoned. Abbas retracted the statement the following day, acknowledging that the claim was not true and stating that he "didn't intend to do harm to Judaism or to offend Jewish people around

704-625: A pragmatist garnered him favor with the West and some members of the Palestinian legislature. Under international pressure, on 19 March 2003, Arafat appointed Abbas Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority . According to Gilbert Achcar , the United States imposed Abbas on Arafat, the democratically elected leader, though the majority of Palestinians thought of Abbas as a Quisling . A struggle for power between Arafat and Abbas ensued. Abbas's term as prime minister

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768-687: Is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian National Authority ( PNA ). He has been the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO ) since 2004, PNA president since January 2005, and State of Palestine president since May 2005. Abbas is also a member of the Fatah party and was elected chairman in 2009. Abbas was elected on 9 January 2005 to serve as President of

832-548: The Congressional Research Service characterised the Palestinian public's dissatisfaction with institutional corruption as a factor that contributed to a win by Hamas in the January 2006 parliamentary election. It noted that Fatah leaders had been accused of siphoning funds from ministry budgets, passing out patronage jobs, accepting favors and gifts from suppliers and contractors. President of

896-591: The Hamas takeover of Gaza , when Hamas fighters took control of the Gaza Strip and removed all Fatah officials, President Abbas, on 14 June, declared a state of emergency by Presidential decree, and dismissed Haniyeh's national unity government, and appointed an emergency government and suspended articles of the Basic Law, to circumvent the needed PNC approval. President Abbas threatened on 18 July 2007 to cancel

960-652: The National Security Council , a sticking point in the defunct unity government with Hamas. That same day, the United States decided to end its fifteen-month embargo on the Palestinian Authority and resume aid, attempting to strengthen Abbas's West Bank government. A day later, the Fatah Central Committee cut off all ties and dialogue with Hamas, pending the return of Gaza. On 26 July 2023, Abbas met with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh . Behind

1024-768: The Oslo I Accord , Abbas was the signatory for the PLO on 13 September 1993. He published a memoir, Through Secret Channels: The Road to Oslo (1995). In 1995, he and Israeli negotiator Yossi Beilin wrote the Beilin–Abu Mazen agreement , which was meant to be the framework for a future Israeli–Palestinian peace deal. It emerged in September 2016 that Abbas may have once worked for the KGB , as early as 1985 in Damascus , according to

1088-701: The PLO Negotiations Affairs Department . Abbas has been subject to both criticism and controversy, having been accused of corruption, as well as distorting Jewish history and engaging in Holocaust denial . Mahmoud Rida Abbas was born on 15 November 1935 in Safed , in the Galilee region of Mandatory Palestine (now Israel ). His family fled to Syria during the 1948 Palestine war . Before going to Egypt , Abbas graduated from

1152-566: The Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement and Hamas because his pragmatic policies were opposed to their hard-line approach. Initially, he pledged not to use force against the militants in the interest of avoiding a civil war, and attempted negotiation. This was partially successful, resulting in a pledge from the two groups to honor a unilateral Palestinian cease-fire. However, continuing violence and Israeli "targeted killings" of known leaders forced Abbas to pledge

1216-599: The Sharm el-Sheikh Summit to end the Second Intifada , and they both reaffirmed their commitment to the Roadmap for peace process. Sharon also agreed to release 900 Palestinian prisoners of the 7,500 being held at the time, and to withdraw from West Bank towns. On 9 August 2005, Abbas announced that legislative elections , originally scheduled for 17 July 2005, would take place in January 2006. On 20 August, he set

1280-667: The University of Damascus , where he studied law. Abbas later entered graduate studies at the Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow , where he earned a Candidate of Sciences degree (the Soviet equivalent of a PhD). His doctoral dissertation was The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism . He is married to Amina Abbas , and together they had three sons. The eldest, Mazen Abbas, ran

1344-546: The "representative of the Palestinian people". The PLO established a Palestinian National Council and a government in exile , both representing the Palestinian people worldwide. The Oslo Accords established the parallel Palestinian National Authority (PA) and the Palestinian Legislative Council , both representing Palestinians in the Palestinian territories . From 1994, Arafat assumed

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1408-603: The Cairo Declaration, which would have had the effect of expelling Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the PLO. The PFLP and the DFLP urged Abbas not to annul the Declaration. Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas ( Arabic : مَحْمُود عَبَّاس , romanized :  Maḥmūd ʿAbbās ; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen (Arabic: أَبُو مَازِن , ʾAbū Māzin ), is a Palestinian politician who

1472-467: The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity, Al-Monitor characterized corruption in the Palestinian Authority as being "still rampant inside public Palestinian institutions despite the progress during the past year". In 2003, CBS News reported that Yasser Arafat , Abbas's mentor and predecessor, had diverted nearly $ 1 billion in public funds to "insure his political survival". In a 2006 report,

1536-750: The Election Law, so he could align the next presidential and parliamentary elections . Pointing to the Palestinian constitution, Hamas disputed the validity of this move, and considered Abbas's term to have ended, in which case Abdel Aziz Duwaik , Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council , would have become acting president. On 16 December 2009, the leadership of the Palestinian Central Council announced an indefinite extension of Abbas's term as president. Since then, Abbas has remained president of

1600-586: The Executive Committee of the PLO, and subsequently called for an emergency meeting of the PNC to hold an election. The announcement drew criticisms and speculation as to his motives. His proposed special session of the PNC was postponed indefinitely, and he remains acting chairman of the PLC as of October 2023. In 2021, local elections in Palestine were held amidst a rift between Abbas and Hamas . This

1664-572: The Fatah-controlled areas of the Palestinian territories. In April 2014, Hamas withdrew its objection, in order to form a Unity Government with Fatah. Abbas has supported the blockade of the Gaza Strip as a means of weakening Hamas. In 2010, Abbas declared that he opposed lifting the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip because this would bolster Hamas. Egypt also supported this position. In 2014 and subsequent years, Abbas supported Egypt's crackdown on smuggling tunnels and welcomed

1728-706: The Gaza Strip . Abbas declared three days of mourning following the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion and canceled a planned meeting with U.S. president Joe Biden. In February 2024, he called the Al-Rashid humanitarian aid incident an "ugly massacre" that was perpetrated by the "Israeli occupation army." On 23 January 2005, Israeli radio reported that Abbas had secured a thirty-day ceasefire from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. On 12 February, lone Palestinians attacked Israel settlements and Abbas quickly fired some of his security officers for not stopping

1792-484: The Hamas prime minister has continued to operate in Gaza , and is recognised by a large number of Palestinians as the legitimate acting prime minister. Anis al-Qasem, a constitutional lawyer who drafted the Basic Law, is among those who publicly declared Abbas's appointment of Fayyad to be illegal. On 18 June 2007, the European Union promised to resume direct aid to the Palestinian Authority, and Abbas dissolved

1856-720: The Oslo Accords. Unlike the President of the Palestinian Authority, the position of President of the State of Palestine is not validated by democratic elections, but rather by the PLO Central Council . In 1989, the PLO Central Council elected Arafat the first President of the State of Palestine. At the time, the PLO that elected him was led by Arafat himself. After Arafat's death in November 2004,

1920-558: The Palestinian Basic Law, the president may dismiss a sitting prime minister, but may not appoint a replacement without the approval of the Palestinian Legislative Council . According to the law, until a new prime minister is thus appointed, the outgoing prime minister heads a caretaker government. Fayyad's appointment was never placed before, or approved by the Legislative Council. For this reason, Haniyeh,

1984-455: The Palestinian National Authority . Both functions were held by Arafat from 1994 and continued until his death in November 2004, and were continued by his successor Mahmoud Abbas . In January 2005, the Palestinian Central Council (PCC) asked Abbas to perform the duties of the president of the State of Palestine. In November 2008, the PCC approved the continuation of Abbas's function as president of

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2048-501: The Palestinian National Authority until 15 January 2009, but extended his term until the next election in 2010, citing the PLO constitution, and on 16 December 2009 was voted into office indefinitely by the PLO Central Council . As a result, Fatah's main rival, Hamas , initially announced that it would not recognize the extension or view Abbas as the rightful president. Nonetheless, Abbas is internationally recognized in his position(s) and Hamas and Fatah conducted numerous negotiations in

2112-496: The State of Palestine The president of the State of Palestine ( Arabic : رئيس دولة فلسطين , romanized :  Raʼīs Dawlat Filasṭīn ) is the head of state of Palestine . Yasser Arafat became the first titular president of the State of Palestine in 1989, one year after the Palestinian Declaration of Independence . The title was originally titular, in parallel with the de facto title president of

2176-593: The State of Palestine. Since 2013, the title president of the State of Palestine became the sole title of the Palestinian president. On 15 November 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organization proclaimed the State of Palestine (SoP). Yasser Arafat, the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , assumed the title "President of Palestine". The United Nations recognized the PLO as

2240-537: The West Bank and compensate the Palestinians with 5.8 percent (taken from pre-1967 Israel), which Abbas stated he rejected out of hand, insisting instead to demarcate the 4 June 1967 borders of Palestine. He said that Olmert did not give a map of the proposal and that he could not sign without seeing the proposal. Abbas also said that he was not an expert on maps and pointed to Olmert's corruption investigation (he

2304-505: The abduction by Hamas militants of Gilad Shalit on 25 June 2006 in a cross-border raid via a tunnel out of Gaza, Israel detained nearly a quarter of PLC members and ministers on the West Bank during August 2006 and intensified the boycott of Gaza and other punitive measures. The Palestinian Prisoners' Document (also known as the Palestinian National Conciliation Document) dated 28 June 2006 urged

2368-587: The approval of Morocco , Tunisia , Libya , Egypt , Iraq , Yemen , and Sudan . Abbas has performed diplomatic duties, presenting a moderating contrast to the PLO's "revolutionary" policies. Abbas was the first PLO official to visit Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War in January 1993 to mend fences with the Gulf countries after the PLO's support of Iraq during the Persian Gulf War strained relations. In

2432-433: The attacks during the ceasefire. On 9 April 2005, Abbas said that the killing of three Palestinians in southern Gaza by Israeli soldiers was a deliberate violation of the declared ceasefire deal. "This violation is made on purpose," Abbas said in a written statement sent to reporters in the West Bank capital of Ramallah . Abbas made the statement shortly after three Palestinian teenage boys were shot dead by Israeli troops in

2496-511: The conversation and what she wrote in her book." In January 2019, Abbas accepted the chairmanship of the United Nations' Group of 77 , a coalition of 134 mainly developing nations and China, on behalf of Palestine, which is a non-member observer state of the UN. He was handed the gavel by Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry , the outgoing chairman. Citing the 2012 corruption report by

2560-438: The current negotiations were, in effect, deadlocked: "So far, we have not reached an agreement on any issue. Any report indicating otherwise is simply not true." Abbas has since confirmed that he turned down an Israeli offer for a Palestinian state on nearly 95% of the West Bank. In September 2008, Olmert had presented him with a map that delineated the borders of the proposed PA state, for which Israel would annex 6.3 percent of

2624-468: The damaged terminal and broke off relations with Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, stating that Abbas must now show a gesture of peace by attempting to stop such attacks. Abbas was formally sworn in as the President of the Palestinian National Authority in a ceremony held on 15 January, in the West Bank town of Ramallah . On 8 February 2005, Abbas met with Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon at

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2688-525: The elections for 25 January. On 15 January 2006, Abbas declared that, despite unrest in Gaza, he would not change the election date, unless Israel were to prevent Palestinians in East Jerusalem from voting. The elections took place on 25 January 2006, and resulted in a decisive Hamas victory. On 16 January 2006, in the context of Fatah's election loss and Hamas' presumed future one party government, Abbas said that he would not run for office again at

2752-590: The end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and statehood for Palestine by 2017. The threat of joining the ICC and suing Israel for war crimes had been considered by Palestinian officials for years prior, but the move was seen as a diplomatic "last resort." The decision came as Abbas's administration dealt with allegations of corruption and mismanagement, potential political challenges from rival parties and other Fatah members, and low approval ratings. On 22 August 2015, Abbas announced his resignation as chairman of

2816-505: The end of a 3-days meeting in Cairo , was an early conciliation attempt with the aim to unite the Palestinian factions against the Israeli occupation, restructure the PLO and avoid further violent interactions between the Palestinian groups. The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza was unilaterally completed by 12 September 2005. The Declaration contains 6 points: The Palestinian legislative election took place on 25 January 2006, and resulted in

2880-405: The end of his term. However, following international sanctions against a Hamas one party government, political and military conflicts between Hamas and Fatah, and the division of the country, which made new elections impossible, Abbas stayed president after the expiration of his four-year term on 15 January 2009. He extended his term for another year, using another interpretation of the Basic Law and

2944-618: The flooding of the tunnels by Egypt in coordination with the PA. In 2016, Abbas objected to the entrance of Qatari fuel to the Gaza electricity plant via Israel, because his PA would be unable to collect taxes on the fuel. On 31 December 2014, Abbas signed an application for Palestine to join the International Criminal Court , just one day after the UN Security Council voted against a resolution demanding

3008-539: The following years, leading to an agreement in April 2014 for a Unity Government (which lasted until October 2016) and to the recognition of his office by Hamas. Abbas was also chosen as the president of the State of Palestine by the PLO Central Council on 23 November 2008, a position he had held unofficially since 8 May 2005. Abbas served as the first prime minister of the Palestinian Authority from March to September 2003. Before being named prime minister, Abbas led

3072-437: The funds raised by Abbas were used, without the latter's knowledge, to implement the 1972 Munich massacre . He was among the first members of Fatah to call for talks with moderate Israelis, doing so in 1977. In a 2012 interview, he recalled, "[...] because we took up arms, we were in a position to put them down with credibility." In 1977, Abbas called for the repatriation of Arab Jews to their countries of origin, receiving

3136-420: The implementation of the Cairo Declaration. Calls for the implementation of the Cairo Declaration, the formation of a unity government and the cessation of violence between Fatah and Hamas were made in the Fatah–Hamas Mecca Agreement of 8 February 2007. The Hamas government was replaced on 17 March 2007 by a national unity government headed by Haniyeh comprising Hamas and Fatah ministers. In June 2007, after

3200-440: The meeting was Turkey 's effort to reconcile Fatah with Hamas. In May 2009, he welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to the West Bank, who supported Abbas's goal of a Palestinian State. Also in May 2009, Abbas made a visit to Canada, where he met with foreign affairs minister Lawrence Cannon and Prime Minister Stephen Harper . The same year Abbas visited Venezuela and met Hugo Chávez . In February 2010, Abbas visited Japan for

3264-525: The mid-1950s, Abbas became heavily involved in underground Palestinian politics, joining a number of exiled Palestinians in Qatar, where he was Director of Personnel in the emirate's Civil Service. While there in 1961, he was recruited to become a member of Fatah , founded by Yasser Arafat and five other Palestinians in Kuwait in the late 1950s. At the time, Arafat was establishing the groundwork of Fatah by enlisting wealthy Palestinians in Qatar, Kuwait, and other Gulf States . According to Abu Daoud , part of

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3328-456: The office was vacant. In May 2005, four months after Abbas was elected President of the Palestinian Authority, the PLO Central Council asked Abbas to act as President of State of Palestine. On 23 November 2008, the PLO Central Council formalized the function by electing Abbas President of the State of Palestine. The PLO organs that appointed Abbas in 2005 and 2008 were and still are led by Abbas himself. On 15 November 1988, Yasser Arafat became

3392-464: The position took place on 9 January 2005 in both the West Bank and Gaza, but were boycotted by both Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The election resulted in PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas being elected President to a four-year term. On 16 February 2005, the Israeli parliament (the Knesset ) approved the Israeli disengagement from Gaza , which would have drastically changed Israeli–Palestinian relations in Gaza. The Cairo Declaration, signed on 19 March 2005 at

3456-403: The southern Gaza town of Rafah. Israel claimed they thought the boys were attempting to smuggle weapons, while Palestinians claimed a group of boys were playing soccer and three of them went to retrieve the ball near the border fence. On 25 July 2005, he announced that he would move his office to Gaza until the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops in order to coordinate the Palestinian side of

3520-409: The third time as Palestinian president. In this visit he met Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama . He also visited Hiroshima , the first such visit by a Palestinian leader, and spoke about the suffering of Hiroshima, which he compared to the suffering of the Palestinians. In July 2012, Abbas accused former U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice of fabricating a conversation between them and denied such

3584-442: The title of President of the Palestinian National Authority , which was consolidated by the 1996 Presidential elections . Since then, both functions (President of the SoP and of the PA) were simultaneously performed by a single person. In 2012, the United Nations recognized the "State of Palestine" as non-member observer state, but this did not abolish the function of President of the Palestinian Authority, as this originated from

3648-468: The vote as President of the Palestinian National Authority. In his speech, he addressed a crowd of supporters chanting "a million shahids ", stating: "I present this victory to the soul of Yasser Arafat and present it to our people, to our martyrs and to 11,000 prisoners ". He also called for Palestinian groups to end the use of arms against Israelis. Despite Abbas's call for a peaceful solution, attacks by militant groups continued after his election, in

3712-480: The withdrawal, mediating between the different factions. On 2 March 2008, Abbas stated he was suspending peace talks with Israel, while Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert vowed to press on with military operations against militants who have been launching home-made rockets into southern Israel. On 20 May 2008 Abbas said he would resign from his office if the current round of peace talks had not yielded an agreement in principle "within six months". He also said that

3776-406: The world". Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Abbas's statement spread a " blood libel ". On 25 May 2006, Abbas gave Hamas a ten-day deadline to accept the 1967 ceasefire lines . On 16 December 2006, Abbas called for new legislative elections, to bring an end to the parliamentary stalemate between Fatah and Hamas in forming a national coalition government. On 17 March 2007,

3840-422: Was after he had indefinitely postponed the presidential election and parliamentary elections . During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war , Abbas rejected "practices of killing civilians or abusing them on both sides because they contravene morals, religion and international law." He called for the "release of civilians, prisoners and detainees" and expressed concern about the consequences of Israel's total blockade of

3904-414: Was characterised by numerous conflicts between him and Arafat over the distribution of power. The United States and Israel accused Arafat of undermining Abbas and his government. Abbas hinted he would resign if not given more control over the administration. In early September 2003, he confronted the Palestinian parliament over this issue. Abbas came into conflict with Palestinian militant groups , notably

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3968-593: Was later convicted). Abbas said in October 2011 that he made a counteroffer to let Israel annex 1.9% of the West Bank. In 2012, Abbas floated the idea of accepting a two-state solution which outlined Palestine as existing within the 1967 borders with a capital in East Jerusalem . In an interview with Israeli Channel 2 TV, Abbas said, "It is my right to see [the Israeli city of Safed ], but not to live there." The negative reaction to these words forced Abbas to backpedal. According to an International Crisis Group report, most Israeli officials "do not see [Abbas] as

4032-405: Was not able, to disarm Palestinian militants and use force against groups designated as terrorist organisations. With Israeli forces arresting and restricting the movement of other candidates, Hamas's boycott of the election, and his campaign being given 94% of the Palestinian electoral campaign coverage on TV, Abbas's election was virtually ensured, and on 9 January Abbas was elected with 63% of

4096-455: Was seen, at least by Fatah, as his natural successor. On 25 November 2004, Abbas was endorsed by Fatah's Revolutionary Council as its preferred candidate for the presidential election , scheduled for 9 January 2005. On 14 December, Abbas called for an end to violence in the Second Intifada and a return to peaceful resistance. Abbas told the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that "the use of arms has been damaging and should end." However, he refused, or

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