Mahmoud Abbas (Arabic: محمود عباس) (born
March 26, 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen (ابو مازن), was elected President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on January 9,
2005, and took office on January 15, 2005.[1]
Abbas is a leading politician in Fatah. He served as the first Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority from March to October
2003 when he resigned citing lack of support from Israel and the United States as well as "internal incitement" against his
government. [2] Before being named Prime Minister, Abbas
led the PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department. He has served as Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee since November 11, 2004, after Yasser
Arafat's death. With Hamas now in control of the Palestinian Authority, Abbas is frequently
portrayed by Israel and the West as the face of Palestinian moderation.
Childhood and education
Mahmoud Ridha Abbas was born in 1935 in Safed, then part of the British Mandate of Palestine. His family became refugees during the war of 1948 and settled
in Syria. In Syria he attended school and graduated from the University of Damascus before going to Egypt where he studied
law. Subsequently, Abbas entered graduate studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies in
Moscow, where he earned a Ph.D. His thesis completed in 1982 was called The Secret Connection
between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement.[3][4] In 1984, a book based on
Abbas's doctoral dissertation was published in Arabic by Dar
Ibn Rushd publishers in Amman, Jordan. His doctoral thesis
later became a book, The Other Side: the Secret Relationship Between Nazism and
Zionism, which, following his appointment as Palestinian Prime Minister in 2003, was heavily
criticized as an example of Holocaust denial. In his book, Abbas wrote:
"It seems that the interest of the Zionist movement, however, is to inflate this figure [of Holocaust deaths] so that their gains will be greater. This led them to emphasize this figure [six
million] in order to gain the solidarity of international public opinion with Zionism. Many scholars have debated the figure of
six million and reached stunning conclusions—fixing the number of Jewish victims at only a few hundred thousand." [5][6][7]
In his May 2003 interview with Haaretz, Abbas stated:
"I wrote in detail about the Holocaust and said I did not want to discuss numbers. I quoted an argument between historians in
which various numbers of casualties were mentioned. One wrote there were 12 million victims and another wrote there were 800,000.
I have no desire to argue with the figures. The Holocaust was a terrible, unforgivable crime against the Jewish nation, a crime
against humanity that cannot be accepted by humankind. The Holocaust was a terrible thing and nobody can claim I denied it."
[8]
Involvement with politics
In 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, he
recruited a number of people who would become key figures in the Palestine
Liberation Organization, and was one of the founding members of Fatah in 1957.
Yasser Arafat was among other key members.
Throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, Abbas traveled with Arafat
and the rest of the PLO leadership in exile to Jordan, Lebanon
and Tunisia (see article on Yasser Arafat for
details). Though he garnered little attention, particularly in the Western media, Abbas is said to have had a powerful
behind-the-scenes influence on the PLO. He is regarded as an intellectual pragmatist by some commentators. Abbas began to argue
for the recognition of Israel at the times when such position was unpopular in the PLO; Dennis
Ross recounts Abbas' words that he was "swimming against the stream" in the 70s trying to move the Fatah towards recognizing Israel. [9] He is
credited with initiating secretive contacts with left-wing and pacifist Jewish groups during the 1970s and 80s, and is considered
by many to be a major architect of the 1993 Oslo peace accords (evidenced in part by the
fact that he traveled with Arafat to the White House to sign the accords).
At the same time he has performed diplomatic duties, presenting a moderating face for PLO 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 for the PLO's opposition to the US attack on Iraq during the crisis. At the
1993 peace accord with Israel, Abbas was the signatory for the PLO on September 13, 1993. He published a memoir, Through
Secret Channels: The Road to Oslo (1995).
1972 Olympic Massacre
The Munich massacre occurred at the 1972
Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, when members of the
Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September,
assumed to be an operational cover for Yasser Arafat's Fatah group[citation needed]. The attack led directly to the
deaths of 11 Israeli athletes, five of the eight kidnappers, and one German police officer.
Abu Daoud, one of those believed to have planned or executed the Munich attack, alleged
that Mahmoud Abbas was responsible for funding the operation in his autobiography, Memoirs of a Palestinian Terrorist
(ISBN 1-55970-429-2). This allegation has not been confirmed by any other former members or affiliates of Black September, nor
has it been verified by any historical studies.
Term as Prime Minister
By early 2003, as both Israel and the United States had indicated their refusal to negotiate with Yasser Arafat, Abbas began
to emerge as a candidate for a more visible leadership role. 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 Bargouti,
was under arrest in an Israeli jail). Abbas's reputation as a pragmatist garnered him favor with the West and certain elements of
the Palestinian legislature, and pressure was soon brought on Arafat to appoint him Prime Minister. Arafat did so on
March 19, 2003; initially Arafat attempted to undermine the post of Prime Minister, but
eventually was forced to give Abbas some degree of power.
However, the rest of Abbas's term as Prime Minister continued to be characterized by numerous conflicts between him and Arafat
over the distribution of power between the two. Abbas had often hinted he would resign if not given more control over the PA's
administration. In early September 2003 he confronted the PA parliament over this issue. The United States and Israel accused
Arafat of constantly undermining Abbas and his government.
In addition, Abbas came into conflict with Palestinian militant
groups, notably Islamic Jihad and Hamas; his moderate pragmatic policies were diametrically 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 instead 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 "target killings" of known leaders forced Abbas to pledge 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 in a crackdown on militants.
Abbas resigned from the post of Prime Minister in October 2003, citing lack of support from Israel and the United States as
well as "internal incitement" against his government. [10]
2005 presidential election
After Yasser Arafat's death Mahmoud Abbas was seen, at least by Fatah, as his natural successor.
On November 25, Abbas was endorsed by Fatah's Revolutionary Council as its preferred
candidate for the Palestinian presidential election, scheduled
for January 9, 2005.
On December 14, Abbas called for an end to violence in the Al-Aqsa 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
to disarm Palestinian militants and use force to act against groups that Israel, the United States, and the European Union
designated as "terrorist organizations".
With Israeli forces arresting and restricting the movement of his running mates, Hamas's boycott of the election, and his
campaign being given 94% of Palestine TV electoral campaign coverage, Abbas' election was virtually ensured,[11] and on January 9 Abbas was elected
with 62% of the vote as the new president of the Palestinian Authority. (See Palestinian presidential election, 2005 for election statistics.)
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.[12][13]
Post 2005 presidential election
Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Abbas during Putin's visit to the West Bank
Despite Abbas' call for a peaceful solution, attacks by militant groups continued after his election, in a direct challenge to
his authority. Islamic Jihad launched a raid in Gaza on January 12, killing one and wounding three military personnel in Gaza. On January 13, Palestinians from Fatah's 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 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 January 15 in the
West Bank town of Ramallah.
On January 23 2005, Israeli radio reported that Abbas had
secured a 30-day ceasefire from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. On February 12, lone Palestinians
attacked Israel settlements and Abbas quickly fired some of his security officers for not stopping the attacks in a
ceasefire.
On April 9 2005, Abbas said that the killing of three
Palestinians in southern Gaza by Israeli soldiers is 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 city of Ramallah. Abbas made the statement
shortly after three Palestinian teenage boys were shot dead by Israeli troops in 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. [14]
"The Palestinian National Authority will not turn a blind eye to the shedding of the blood of our people and our children. We
can never accept opening fire at our children who pose no danger at all," said Abbas. Abbas said the Palestinian children "are as
precious to their parents as the Israeli children to their parents." Condemning the Israeli shooting as "unjustified", Abbas
urged Israel to take serious actions to show commitment to the truce.
In May of 2005, Abbas travelled to the White House and met with President George W. Bush of the United
States. Bush, in return for Abbas' crackdown on terrorists, pledged $50 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority and reiterated the U.S. pledge for a free Palestinian state. It was
the first direct aid the United States has given to them, as previous donations have gone through non-governmental organizations.
The next day Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada pledged
$9.5 million in new aid for judicial reform and housing projects, monitors for the coming Palestinian elections, border
management and scholarships for Palestinian refugee women in Lebanon. [15]
On July 25, 2005 he announced that he will move his office to
Gaza until the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops. He will also be co-ordinating the Palestinian side of the withdrawal, and
to mediate between the different factions. [16]
On August 9, 2005 he announced that Palestinian legislative
elections, originally scheduled for July 17, will take place in January of 2006. On
January 15, 2006 he declared that despite unrest in Gaza, he
would not change the set date of the elections (January 25), unless Israel decided to prevent
Palestinians in East Jerusalem from voting.[17] Hamas won a majority of votes in the PA legislature in this vote.[18]
Fatah-Hamas conflict and Gaza crisis
On January 16, 2006 he said that he would not run for office
again at the end of his current term. [19]
On May 25, Abbas gave Hamas a 10 day deadline to accept the 1967 cease-fire lines.
On June 2, Abbas again announced that if Hamas did not approve the prisoner's document - which calls for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict according to the 1967 borders - within two days, he would present the initiative as a referendum. This deadline was
subsequently extended until June the 10th 2006. Hamas spokesmen stated that a change in their stance would not occur, and that
Abbas is not constitutionally permitted to call a referendum, especially so soon after the January elections.
Mahmoud Abbas warned Hamas on October 8 2006 that he would call new legislative elections if it does not accept a coalition government. To recognize Israel
was a condition he has presented for a coalition. But it was not clear if Abbas had the power to call new elections.[18]
On December 16, 2006 Abbas called for new legislative
elections, to bring an end to the parliamentary stalemate between Fatah and Hamas in forming a national unity government.
[20]
On March 17th, 2007 a Palestinian 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 June 14th, 2007 Abbas dissolved the Hamas-led unity
government and declared a state of emergency in response to the increased violence in the Gaza strip. Afterwards, Hamas fighters
have claimed to be in control of Abbas' presidential compound. [21] On June 18th, hours after the EU promised to resume direct aid to
the Palestinians, Abbas dissolved the National Security Council, a sticking point in the defunct unity government with Hamas.
[22] That same day, the United States decided to end its
15-month embargo on the Palestinian Authority and resume aid, attempting to strengthen Abbas's West Bank government. [23] One day later, the Fatah Central Committee cut off all ties
and dialogue with Hamas, pending the return of Gaza. [24]
References
- ^ Abu Mazen translates as "Father of Mazen"; Mazen is the name of Abbas's
first-born son.
- ^ Palestinian prime minister Abbas resigns (CNN)
- ^ Was Abu Mazen a Holocaust Denier? By Brynn Malone (History News Network)
- ^ Abu Mazen: A Political Profile. Zionism and Holocaust Denial by Yael Yehoshua
(MEMRI) April 29, 2003
- ^ A Holocaust-Denier as Prime Minister of "Palestine"? by Dr. Rafael Medoff (The David S. Wyman
Institute for Holocaust Studies)
- ^ Abu Mazen and the
Holocaust by Tom Gross
- ^ PA Holocaust Denial by Itamar Marcus (Palestinian Media Watch)
- ^ Interview with Mahmoud Abbas by Akiva Eldar, Haaretz. May 2003
- ^ Abbas Keeps His Eyes on the Big Picture, by Dennis Ross, Los Angeles Times,
July 14, 2003. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC06.php?CID=552
- ^ Palestinian prime minister Abbas resigns (CNN)
- ^ Final
Report on Monitoring the Presidential Palestinian Elections (Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies) January 1, 2005
- ^ Abbas achieves landslide poll win BBC. January 10, 2005
- ^ Abu Mazen: Little Jihad is Over, Big Jihad Starts (Israel National News) January 10, 2005
- ^ Israeli
troops kill Palestinian teenagers (Aljazeera) April 10, 2005
- ^ Canada
pledges aid to Abbas (Aljazeera) 28 May 2005
- ^ Abbas moves to Gaza for pullout (BBC) July 25, 2005
- ^ Abbas:
Palestinian polls on schedule (Aljazeera) January 15, 2006
- ^ a b Abbas Threatens Hamas With New Elections (INN) October 08, 2006
- ^ Abbas 'will not be leader again' (BBC) January 16, 2006
- ^ Palestinian president calls for early elections (CNN) December 16, 2006
- ^ Hamas controls Gaza, says it will stay in power (June 14, 2007).
- ^ The Associated Press (2007-06-18). Abbas dissolves Palestinian
National Security Council, rallying international support. International Herald Tribune.
- ^ U.S. ends embargo on Palestinian Authority in move to bolster Fatah (International Herald
Tribune) June 19, 2007
- ^ Fatah's leadership decides to cut off all contacts with Hamas (IHT/AP) June 19, 2007
Quotes
- "There is absolutely no substitution for dialogue." (2003)
- "The little jihad is over, and now we have the bigger jihad - the bigger battle is achieving security and economic growth"
(2005) [1]
- "From here [the Gaza withdrawal], our people begin the march towards establishing an independent Palestinian state with
Jerusalem as its capital" [2]
- "Today we are visitors to the airport (referring to Yaser Arafat
International Airport), tomorrow we will come here as travellers." (19 August
2005) [3]
- “His Holiness was moved to receive this accolade from the people of Bethlehem and paid special attention to the message of
the passport.” On giving the Bethlehem Passport to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. The citation refers to "all people who uphold a just and open society." [4]
- "I renew my commitment to continuing the road he [Arafat] began and for which he made a lot of sacrifices, until the
Palestinian flag flies from the walls, minarets and churches of Jerusalem." (2005) [5]
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