Mahmud abbas biography
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According to Abbas's CNN.com profile, he is one of only a few Palestinians to have formally studied Israeli history and politics.
Ross, Dennis."Mahmoud Abbas: A Palestinian Plans for Peace." Time (April 18, 2005): p. In 1977, in a major break with Arafat and PLO policy, he publicly announced that he was in favor of establishing a two-state (Arab and Jewish) compromise.
He co-founded Fatah, which later became the largest faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Leadership Roles and the Oslo Accords
In 1980, Abbas was elected to the PLO Executive Committee.
Arafat's successor
According to a 2004 Time magazine article, shortly before his resignation a friend asked Abbas when he thought the Palestinian situation would improve.
In the early 1990s, peace talks began in earnest between the prime minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin (1922–1995), and Chairman Arafat. He maintained contact with key PLO leaders and continued his attempts to work with various Jewish groups. In 1994 Arafat, along with Rabin, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which is given annually to individuals or organizations who are key instruments of peace.
By the war's end, Palestine proper ceased to exist. 43. In 1948, during the Arab-Israeli War, his family moved to Syria.
After graduating with a law degree from Damascus University, Abbas pursued his doctorate in Oriental Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow, focusing on the history of Zionism.
Involvement with the Palestinian Liberation Organization
Abbas became involved with the Palestinian national movement in the 1960s.
"Palestinian, Israeli Leaders Announce Cease-Fire." CNN.com : World (February 9, 2005). Representatives from the United States, however, remained positive. Even before official negotiations began between the PLO and Israel, Abbas worked in secret with representatives from various Jewish groups to come up with peaceful methods of resolution.
In response, Abbas countered that Israelis were not handing over control of Palestinian territories as promised. On February 8, 2005, he attended a summit with Prime Minister Sharon, hosted by Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak (1928–) in Sharm-el-Sheik, Egypt. Since Abbas had become well known and respected for his middle-of-the-road views, the United States and Israel pressured Arafat to appoint him prime minister.
At the 2000 Camp David Middle East Peace Summit in America, Barak proposed a compromise: he offered to give Arafat all of the Gaza Strip, but only portions of the West Bank, which would be used as a Palestinian state. "From the Shadows to Center Stage: Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas." Time (February 21, 2005): p.
"In Abbas, Western Hopes Hang on Thin Reed," New York Times , December 18, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/world/middleeast/19assess.html (December 19, 2006). He also feared for the safety of his family; Abbas is married and has three sons.