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 the President of the State of Palestine and Palestinian National Authority.[6] He has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) since 11 November 2004, and Palestinian president since 15 January 2005 (Palestinian National Authority since 15 January 2005, and State of Palestine since 8 May 2005). Abbas is a member of the Fatah party and was elected Chairman of Fatah in 2009.

For other people named Mahmoud Abbas, see Mahmoud Abbas (disambiguation).

Mahmoud Abbas
Abu Mazen
مَحْمُود عَبَّاس
أَبُو مَازِن
2nd President of the Palestinian National Authority
Assumed office
15 January 20051
Prime MinisterAhmed Qurei
Nabil Shaath (Acting)
Ahmed Qurei
Ismail Haniyeh
Salam Fayyad
Rami Hamdallah
Mohammad Shtayyeh
Preceded byRawhi Fattouh (interim)
2nd President of the State of Palestine
Assumed office
8 May 2005
Acting: 8 May 2005 – 23 November 2008[1]
Preceded byYasser Arafat
4th Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization
Assumed office
29 October 2004
Acting: 29 October 2004 – 11 November 2004
Preceded byYasser Arafat
1st Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
In office
19 March 2003 – 6 September 2003[2]
PresidentYasser Arafat
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAhmad Qurei
Personal details
Born (1935-11-15) 15 November 1935
Safed, Mandatory Palestine
NationalityPalestinian
Political partyFatah
Spouse(s)Amina Abbas
ChildrenMazen Abbas
Yasser Abbas
Tareq Abbas
ResidenceRamallah, West Bank[3]
Alma materDamascus University
Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University
1) Abbas's term as President expired 15 January 2009, since when Aziz Duwaik had been recognised as President by the Haniyeh government in the Gaza Strip, while Abbas is recognised as President by the Fayyad government in the West Bank and all the states that recognise the independence of Palestine, as well as the UN.[4] In April 2014 he was recognized by Haniyeh in the context of the Unity Government.[5]

Abbas was elected on 9 January 2005 to serve as President of 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.[7][8][9] Yet, Abbas is internationally recognized and Hamas and Fatah conducted numerous negotiations in the following years,[10] leading to an agreement in April 2014 over a Unity Government, which lasted until October 2016, and therefore to the recognition of his office by Hamas.[5] Abbas was also chosen as the President of the State of Palestine by the Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council on 23 November 2008,[1] a position he had held unofficially since 8 May 2005.[11]

Abbas served as the first Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority from March to September 2003.[12] Before being named prime minister, Abbas led the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department.

Personal life

Mahmoud Abbas was born in 15 November 1935[13] in Safed, in the Galilee region of Mandatory Palestine (now Israel).[14] His family fled to Syria during the 1948 Palestine war.[14] Before going to Egypt, Abbas graduated from 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[15][16] (the Soviet equivalent of a PhD). His doctoral dissertation was "The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism".[17]

He is married to Amina Abbas and they had three sons. The eldest, Mazen Abbas, ran a building company in Doha and died in Qatar of a heart attack in 2001 at the age of 42.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20]

Abbas with President of the United States George W. Bush and Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon at the Red Sea Summit in Aqaba, Jordan, 4 June 2003

Political activism

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 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.[21] 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 the funds raised by Abbas were used, without the latter's knowledge, to implement the 1972 Munich massacre.[22] 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."[23]

Abbas has performed diplomatic duties, presenting a moderating contrast to the PLO's "revolutionary"policies.[14] 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 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).[24]

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 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.[25][26]

Political career
Abbas with Ariel Sharon and George W. Bush in Aqaba, Jordan, 4 June 2003

By early 2003, as Israel and the United States refused to negotiate with Yasser Arafat, it was thought that Abbas would be 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 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 the former as a Quisling.[27]

A struggle for power between Arafat and Abbas ensued.[28] Abbas's term as prime minister 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 the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement and Hamas because his pragmatic policies were opposed to their hard-line approach. He resigned as leader of the PLO on 22 August 2015.[29] 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 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 in September 2003, citing lack of support from Israel and the United States as well as "internal incitement" against his government.[2][12]

He announced his resignation as leader of the PLO on 22 August 2015.[29] As of December 2015, he was still acting as Chairman, pending approval by the Palestinian National Council.[30]

2005 Presidential election

After Yasser Arafat's death, Abbas 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 was not able, to disarm Palestinian militants and use force against groups designated (by the Israeli government) 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,[31] and on 9 January Abbas was elected with 62% of 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.[32]

Presidency
Abbas with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., 3 May 2017

Despite Abbas's call for a peaceful solution, attacks by militant groups continued after his election, in 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.[33] 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.[33] 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.[34] 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.[35]

On 8 February 2005, Abbas met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at 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,[36] 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 the elections for 25 January.[37] 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.[38] 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 the end of his term.[39] 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 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.[7][9][40]

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 the Fatah-controlled areas of the Palestinian territories.[41] In April 2014, Hamas withdrew its objection, in order to form a Unity Government with Fatah.[5]

Corruption allegations

There are frequent allegations that officials of the Palestinian Authority, including Abbas, have systematically embezzled public funds.[42]

Abbas's mentor and predecessor, Yasser Arafat, was accused of embezzling billions of dollars of Palestinian money.[43][44] This perceived corruption of the Fatah leadership is believed to have contributed to a convincing win by Hamas in the January 2006 parliamentary election. Fatah leaders were accused of siphoning funds from ministry budgets, passing out patronage jobs, accepting favors and gifts from suppliers and contractors.[45]

The source for specific allegations against Abbas was one of Arafat's most trusted aides, Mohammed Rashid, accused by the PA of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars, who threatened to expose corruption scandals in the Palestinian Authority. For many years, Rashid served as Arafat's financial advisor and was given a free hand to handle hundreds of millions of dollars that were poured on the Palestinian Authority and the PLO by US, EU and Arab donors. According to Rashid, Abbas's net worth was $US100 million.[46]

On 10 July 2012, Abbas and his sons were attacked, in the US Congress, for their alleged corruption. The debate was entitled Chronic Kleptocracy: Corruption Within the Palestinian Political Establishment[47] In his testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia, Elliott Abrams stated that "Corruption is an insidious destroyer not only of Palestinian public finance but of faith in the entire political system. And it has certainly had an impact on potential donors. I can tell you from my own experience, as an American official seeking financial assistance for the PA from Gulf Arab governments, that I was often told "why should we give them money when their officials will just steal it?""[48][49]

The conspicuous wealth of Abbas's own sons, Yasser and Tarek, has been noted in Palestinian society since at least 2009, when Reuters first published a series of articles tying the sons to several business deals, including a few that had U.S. taxpayer support.[50] In a Foreign Policy article, author Jonathan Schanzer suggested four ways in which the Abbas family has become rich. They include monopolies on American made cigarettes sold in the territories; USAid funding; public works projects, such as road and school construction, on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and special preferences for retail enterprises. It was strongly implied that the sons lineage was the main credential in receiving these contracts.[51]

One of his sons, Yasser Abbas, (but not brother Tarek or father Mahmoud) filed a $10 million libel lawsuit in the United States District Court, District of Columbia, in September 2012 against Foreign Policy Group LLC and Schanzer alleging "false and defamatory statements. It seems every statement will be challenged, in a jury trial, if the court accepts jurisdiction."[52] Abbas also accused Schanzer of not contacting him for comment and of relying on untrustworthy sources of information. Abbas accused Schanzer of acting with malice and pursuing an agenda against the brothers, even though he also contended that he's a private citizen and not a public figure, so we wouldn't need to prove actual malice to win.[53] In reply, the magazine has argued that Abbas's suit is aimed at intimidating his critics and stopping debate. "In the final analysis, the commentary falls well within the protections of both the First Amendment and the common law," lawyers for the magazine assert.[54]

Some analysts believed the Abbas family would not proceed with the case as it would allow Foreign Policy and Schanzer to dig in too deep into the PA's secret finances and records.[55] However, the case proceeded.

In September, 2013, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan dismissed the suit using D.C.'s anti-SLAPP measure. Sullivan determined the lawsuit intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandoned their criticisms or opposition.[56] The decision has been appealed.[57]

As part of the 2016 Panama Papers data leak, it was revealed that Abbas's son Tareq Abbas holds $1 million in shares of an offshore company associated with the Palestinian Authority.[58]

Relations with Israel
Abbas with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office

On 23 January 2006, 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 the attacks during the ceasefire.

On 9 April 2006, 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 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.[59]

Abbas meets with then United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

On 25 July 2006, 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 the withdrawal, mediating between the different factions.[60]

Efraim Sneh, a former minister in the Israeli cabinet, has called Abbas the most "courageous partner we have had." He wrote that on 19 April 2006, following the elections in Israel but before Ehud Olmert was sworn in, he met with Abbas, and Abbas requested that negotiations resume immediately with the new Israeli government and that he be put in touch right away with a contact person to be appointed by the prime minister. Sneh reported that he immediately conveyed the substance of their meeting to the prime minister's office, but was told that the prime minister had no interest in the matter. Despite this, Sneh mentions that the Annapolis Conference convened a year and a half later, and that in September 2008, Prime Minister Olmert and Abbas came to understandings that would lead to an actual agreement.[61]

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.[62]

Abbas meets with then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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 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."[63]

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 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 was later convicted).[64][65] Abbas said in October 2011 that he made a counteroffer to let Israel annex 1.9% of the West Bank.[66]

According to an International Crisis Group report, most Israeli officials "do not see [Abbas] as a peace partner but consider [him] a nonthreatening, violence-abhorring, strategic asset."[67]

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.[68] 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 the world'.[69] Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Abbas's statement spread a "blood libel".[69][70]

Relations with Hamas

On 25 May 2006, Abbas gave Hamas a ten-day deadline to accept the 1967 ceasefire lines.[71]

On 2 June 2006, Abbas again announced that if Hamas did not approve the prisoners' 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 10 June 2006. Hamas spokesmen stated that their stance would not change, and that Abbas is not constitutionally permitted to call a referendum, especially so soon after the January elections.

Abbas warned Hamas on 8 October 2006, that he would call new legislative elections if it did 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.

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.[72]

On 17 March 2007, 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 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.[73] For this reason, Haniyeh, 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.[74]

On 18 June 2007, the European Union promised to resume direct aid to the Palestinian Authority, and Abbas dissolved the National Security Council, a sticking point in the defunct unity government with Hamas.[75] 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.[76] A day later, the Fatah Central Committee cut off all ties and dialogue with Hamas, pending the return of Gaza.[77]

Relations with foreign leaders
Abbas, Vladimir Putin, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan opened Moscow's Cathedral Mosque, 23 September 2015.

In May 2009, he welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to the West Bank, who supported Abbas's goal of a Palestinian State.[78] 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 Chavez.[79]

In February 2010, Abbas visited Japan for 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.[80]

In July 2012, Abbas accused former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of fabricating a conversation between them and denied such 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,"[81][82] regarding the issue of Palestinian refugees. Abbas further said, "I'm not calling her a liar... I am saying we never had that conversation."[83] In response, Rice denied that she fabricated it. Her chief of staff, Georgia Godfrey, wrote, "Dr. Rice stands by her account of the conversation and what she wrote in her book."[84]

Published works and statements about the Holocaust

The Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement 1933–1945 is the title of Abbas's CandSc thesis, which was completed in 1982 at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, and defended at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. In 1984 it was published as a book in Arabic titled "The Other Side: the Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism" (Arabic: Al-Wajh al-Ākhar: Al-'Alāqat aL-Sirriyya bayn al-Nāzīyya wa al-Sahyūniyya).

The dissertation and book discussed topics such as the Haavara Agreement, in which the Jewish Agency signed a pact with Nazi Germany to facilitate Jewish emigration to Palestine.[15][85] Some content of his thesis has been considered as Holocaust denial by some Jewish groups,[86] especially where he disputed the accepted number for Jewish deaths in the Holocaust and claimed Zionist agitation had been the cause of the Holocaust.[87]

In his 1984 book, based on the dissertation, Abbas dismissed as a "myth" and "fantastic lie" that six million Jews had died in the Holocaust,[88][89][90] writing that the real figure of Jews killed by Germans was at most "890,000" or "a few hundred thousand".[90][91] The number of such deaths, he claimed, had been exaggerated for political purposes, since:

it seems that the interest of the Zionist movement ... is to inflate this figure 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.[87][92]

According to the Anti-Defamation League, when asked about this assertion in his book, Abbas replied some 10 years later that he had written the book when the Palestinians were at war with Israel, adding that "today I would not have made such remarks."[93] In a March 2006 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.[94]

In 2012, Abbas told Al Mayadeen, a Beirut television station affiliated with Iran and Hezbollah, that he "challenges anyone who can deny that the Zionist movement had ties with the Nazis before World War II". In 2013, he reasserted that "the Zionist movement had ties with the Nazis".[95][96][97] The following year, he described the Holocaust as "the most heinous crime in modern history."[98][99]

During a meeting of the Palestinian National Council in 2018, Abbas stated that Jews in Europe were massacred for centuries because of their "social role related to usury and banks."[100] The speech was widely condemned by Israel, the United Nations, the European Union, Germany, Sweden, United States, former officials of the Obama administration, Peace Now and the Anti-Defamation League.[101] A New York Times editorial said "Let Abbas's vile words be his last as Palestinian leader."[102]

gollark: [EXPUNGED] you.
gollark: The government forbade me from talking about it much, after the lawsuits.
gollark: [REDACTED]
gollark: Hmm, so probably just parents buying a bunch of fusor stuff for him?
gollark: Basically just makes neutrons.

References
  1. "PLO body elects Abbas 'president of Palestine'". Khaleej Times. AFP. 24 November 2008. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-08. "I announce that the PLO Central Council has elected Mahmud Abbas president of the State of Palestine. He takes on this role from this day, November 23, 2008," the body's chairman Salem al-Zaanun told reporters.
  2. Perry, Dan (6 September 2003). "Profile: Mahmoud Abbas". The Guardian. Associated Press. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  3. "Ramallah: Town, West Bank". Britannica.com. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2015. Ramallah, also spelled Rām Allāh, town in the West Bank, adjacent to the town of Al-Bīrah (east) and north of Jerusalem
  4. Abu Toameh, Khaled (25 June 2009). "'Dweik is real Palestinian president'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  5. Keinon, Herb (10 May 2014). "Politics: Fatah-Hamas unity talks breed Likud harmony". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  6. "Current talks 'last chance' for just peace with Israel, Palestinian leader tells UN". United Nations News Centre. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  7. "Hamas: Abbas no longer president". United Press International. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  8. Abu Toameh, Khaled (14 December 2008). "Abbas planning to extend his own term". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  9. Abu Toameh, Khaled (9 January 2009). "Hamas: Abbas no longer heads PA". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  10. Abu Toameh, Khaled (5 March 2012). "No political differences between Fatah, Hamas". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  11. "PLO asks Mahmud Abbas to be acting president of "state of Palestine"". Al Jazeera. 8 May 2005. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2020 – via NewsLibrary.
  12. "Palestinian prime minister Abbas resigns". CNN. 6 September 2003. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  13. "Biography of the President". President of the State of Palestine. 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  14. Sela, Avraham (2002). "Abbas, Mahmud". The Continuum Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East. New York: Continuum. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-82641-053-5.
  15. Zigar, Mikhail; Asmolov, Grigory (17 January 2005). "Аббас на глиняных ногах" [Abbas has feet of clay]. Kommersant-Vlast (in Russian). No. 605. p. 56. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  16. Seddon, David (2004). A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East. London, UK: Taylor & Francis. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-1-85743-212-1. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  17. Rosenberg, Yair (27 April 2014). "Sorry, New York Times: Abbas Is Still A Holocaust Denier". Tablet. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  18. "Eldest son of PLO no. 2 dies". Al Bawaba. 16 June 2002. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  19. Abu Toameh, Khaled (16 April 2009). "PA officials scandalised at disclosure by Abbas's son of vast personal fortune". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  20. Kula, Irwin (25 September 2013). "Why Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Grandchildren Give Him Hope". The Wisdom Daily. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  21. Gowers, Andrew; Walker, Tony (1991). Behind the Myth: Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Revolution. New York: Olive Branch Press. p. 65. ISBN 0-940793-86-5.
  22. Schanzer, Jonathan (29 October 2013). State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-137-36564-4.
  23. Vick, Karl (15 October 2012). "The Stateless Statesman". TIME. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  24. Abbas, Mahmoud (1995). Through Secret Channels: The Road to Oslo. Reading, UK: Garnet Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85964-047-0.
  25. Baker, Peter (7 September 2016). "Soviet Document Suggests Mahmoud Abbas Was a K.G.B. Spy in the 1980s". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  26. Tishchenko, Mikhail (8 September 2016). "Аббас, он же Кротов. Как глава Палестины оказался агентом КГБ" [Abbas, he is Krotov. How the leader of Palestine turned out to be an agent of the KGB]. Slon.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  27. Achcar, Gilbert (2004). Eastern Cauldron: Islam, Afghanistan and Palestine in the Mirror of Marxism. London, UK: Pluto Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-7453-2203-2.
  28. "Arafat vs Abbas". Al-Ahram Weekly (647). 23 July 2003.
  29. "PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas quits leadership post". Al Arabiya News. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  30. "PNC chair confirms controversial session postponed". Ma'an News Agency. 9 September 2015. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  31. "Final Report on Monitoring the Presidential Palestinian Elections". Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies. 30 January 2005. Archived from the original on 7 March 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  32. "Abbas achieves landslide poll win". BBC News. 10 January 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  33. "Suicide and Other Bombing Attacks in Israel Since the Declaration of Principles (Sept 1993)". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  34. "Sharon suspends contacts with Palestinian Authority". CNN. 14 January 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  35. "PLO demands end to armed attacks". BBC News. 16 January 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  36. Reinhart, Tanya (2006). The Road Map to Nowhere: Israel/Palestine Since 2003. London, UK: Verso. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-84467-076-5.
  37. "Palestinian Elections Set For January". CBS News. Associated Press. 20 August 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  38. "Abbas: Palestinian polls on schedule". Al Jazeera. 15 January 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  39. "Abbas 'will not be leader again'". BBC News. 16 January 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  40. Abu Toameh, Khaled (14 December 2008). "Abbas planning to extend his own term". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  41. Kershner, Isabel (17 December 2009). "Palestinian Leadership Council Extends President Abbas's Term". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  42. Balousha, Hazem (6 May 2013). "Report Highlights Corruption In Palestinian Institutions". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  43. Abu Issa, Issam (Fall 2004). "Arafat's Swiss Bank Account". Middle East Quarterly: 15–23. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  44. McDermott, Tricia (7 November 2003). "Arafat's Billions: One Man's Quest To Track Down Unaccounted-For Public Funds". CBS News. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  45. Pina, Aaron D. (9 February 2006). Palestinian Elections (PDF) (Report). Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  46. Humphreys, Adrian (1 April 2013). "Palestinian Authority wants Ottawa's help seizing former Arafat advisor's Canadian assets". National Post. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  47. Mozgovaya, Natasha (11 July 2012). "U.S. lawmakers slam Mahmoud Abbas for alleged corruption". Haaretz. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  48. "Chronic Kleptocracy: Corruption Within the Palestinian Political Establishment – Testimony of Elliot Abrams" (PDF). Council on Foreign Relations. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  49. ""Chronic Kleptocracy: Corruption Within The Palestinian Political Establishment": Hearing before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Second Session" (PDF). United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs. 10 July 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  50. Entous, Adam (22 April 2009). "Firms run by President Abbas's sons get US contracts". Reuters. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  51. Schanzer, Jonathan (5 June 2012). "The Brothers Abbas: Are the sons of the Palestinian president growing rich off their father's system?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  52. "Yasser Abbas v. Foreign Policy Group LLC, Complaint for Defamation, Civil Action No. 12-cv-01565" (PDF). US District Court, District of Columbia. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  53. Tillman, Zoe (25 September 2012). "Palestinian President's Son Sues Magazine for Libel". The BLT: The Blog of LegalTimes. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  54. Pollak, Suzanne (19 November 2012). "Foreign Policy magazine tries to deflect Abbas son's lawsuit". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  55. Tobin, Jonathon S. (27 September 2012). "Libel Suit Highlights Abbas Corruption". Commentary. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  56. Sullivan, Judge Emmet G. (27 September 2013). "Memorandum Opinion, Civ. Action No. 12-1565 (EGS)". US District Court for the District of Columbia. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  57. Gerstein, Josh (23 October 2013). "Palestinian leader's son appeals loss of Foreign Policy libel lawsuit". Politico. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  58. Blau, Uri; Dolev, Daniel (7 April 2016). "Panama Papers: Leaks Reveal Abbas' Son's $1m Holding in Company With Ties to Palestinian Authority". Haaretz. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  59. "Israeli troops kill Palestinian teenagers". Al Jazeera. 10 April 2005. Archived from the original on 11 September 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  60. "Abbas moves to Gaza for pullout". BBC News. 25 July 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  61. Sneh, Ephraim (8 November 2009). "The Partner Who Had No Partner". Haaretz. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  62. Medding, Shira (2 March 2008). "Abbas suspends peace talks with Israel". CNN. Archived from the original on 5 March 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  63. Salhani, Claude (20 May 2008). "Analysis: The Palestinians' trump card". United Press International. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  64. "Abbas admits rejecting Ehud Olmert's peace offer". The Jewish Chronicle. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  65. "Abbas Admits For the First Time That He Turned Down Peace Offer in 2008". The Tower Magazine. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  66. Teibel, Amy (28 October 2011). "Mahmoud Abbas: Remarkable Revelations In Israeli TV Interview". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 30 October 2011.
  67. "No Exit? Gaza & Israel Between Wars: Middle East Report No.162" (PDF). International Crisis Group. 26 August 2015. p. 33. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  68. Ravid, Barak; Khoury, Jack (23 June 2016). "Abbas Repeats Debunked Claim That Rabbis Called to Poison Palestinian Water in Brussels Speech". Haaretz. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  69. Hadid, Diaa (24 June 2016). "Abbas Retracts Claim That Israeli Rabbis Called for Poisoning Water". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  70. Emmott, Robin; Williams, Dan (23 June 2016). "Abbas says some Israeli rabbis called for poisoning Palestinian water". Reuters. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  71. "Abbas gives Hamas 10 days to accept Israel". CNN. 25 May 2006. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  72. "Palestinian president calls for early elections". CNN. 16 December 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  73. Tilley, Virginia (18 June 2007). "Whose Coup Exactly?". The Electronic Intifada. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  74. "Opinion of lawyer who drafted Palestinian law". Reuters. 8 July 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2007.
  75. "Abbas dissolves Palestinian National Security Council, rallying international support". International Herald Tribune. Associated Press. 18 June 2007. Archived from the original on 21 June 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  76. Cooper, Helene (19 June 2007). "U.S. ends embargo on Palestinian Authority in move to bolster Fatah". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  77. "Fatah's leadership decides to cut off all contacts with Hamas". International Herald Tribune. Associated Press. 19 June 2007. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  78. "Pope calls for Palestinian state". BBC News. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  79. Nashashibi, Sharif Hikmat (April 2013). "Death of an International Strong Man". The Middle East (442). Retrieved 14 October 2013. – via Questia (subscription required)
  80. "President of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas visits Hiroshima". Hiroshima Peace Media Center. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  81. "In memoir, Rice says 'historic peace' nearly reached". Ma'an News Agency. 25 October 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  82. "Rice: I thought peace was within reach". Yedioth Ahronoth. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  83. Kayla J., Adams (7 July 2012). "Abbas accuses Rice of fabricating crucial conversation about Olmert's peace offer". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  84. Ahren, Raphael (11 July 2012). "Rebutting Abbas, Condoleezza Rice confirms her account of their 2008 refugee conversation". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  85. Gorelik, Vadim (November 2005). "Как товарищи Махмуд Аббас и Евгений Примаков Холокост отрицали" [How comrades Mahmoud Abbas and Yevgeny Primakov denied the Holocaust]. Notes on Jewish History (in Russian). Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  86. "Profile: Mahmoud Abbas". BBC News. 5 November 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  87. Medoff, Rafael (March 2003). "A Holocaust-Denier as Prime Minister of "Palestine"?". The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  88. "Abbas: Holocaust 'most heinous crime' in modern era". The Jerusalem Post. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  89. Havardi, Jeremy (29 March 2016). Refuting the Anti-Israel Narrative: A Case for the Historical, Legal and Moral Legitimacy of the Jewish State. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-78649-881-9.
  90. Morris, Benny (19 May 2011). "Exposing Abbas". The National Interest. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  91. Hennebel, Ludovic; Hochmann, Thomas (9 February 2011). Genocide Denials and the Law. Oxford University Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-19987-639-6.
  92. Brackman, Harold; Breitbart, Aaron (2007). "Holocaust Denial's Assault on Memory: Precursor to twenty first century genocide?" (PDF). Simon Wiesenthal Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  93. Myre, Greg (11 March 2003). "Man in the News; Soft-Spoken but Not Afraid to Voice Opinions - Mahmoud Abbas". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  94. Eldar, Akiva (28 May 2003). "U.S. told us to ignore Israeli map reservations". Haaretz. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  95. "Abbas: Israel agreed to let refugees into West Bank from Syria". Ma'an News Agency. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 17 April 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  96. Toameh, Khaled Abu (21 January 2013). "Abbas claims Zionists, Nazis linked before WWII". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  97. Myers, David N. (23 January 2013). "Abbas Alleges Link Between Zionists And Nazis". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  98. Casey, Nicholas; Mitnick, Joshua (27 April 2014). "Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas Denounces Holocaust". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  99. "Palestinian leader Abbas admits the Holocaust was 'heinous'". New York Post. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  100. Rasgon, Adam (1 May 2018). "Europe Jews' 'role' got them massacred, Abbas says". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  101. Lazaroff, Tovah; Zieve, Tamara (3 May 2018). "World fumes over Abbas's antisemitism". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  102. Ben-Ozer, Tamar (3 May 2018). "'Let Abbas's vile words be his last as Palestinian leader', New York Times says". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 January 2020.

Further reading
  • Encyclopedia of World Biography: Supplement #27 (Thomson-Gale, 2007) pp. 1–3.
Articles
Political offices
New office Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
2003		 Succeeded by
Ahmed Qurei
Preceded by
Yasser Arafat		 Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization
2004–present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Rawhi Fattouh
Acting		 President of the Palestinian National Authority
2005–present
Preceded by
Yasser Arafat		 President of the State of Palestine
2005–present
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.