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80-699: 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

160-593: 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

240-537: 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

320-583: A High Constitutional Court ruling and approved by two-thirds of the PLC members. If the office of the president becomes vacant, the speaker of the PLC shall temporarily assume the powers and duties of the presidency until free and direct elections take place within a period not to exceed 60 days to elect a new president (Art. 37). As upon the establishment of the Palestinian Authority there had not been held presidential elections, Yasser Arafat as Chairman of

400-583: 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

480-609: 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

560-577: A constitutional crisis. Abbas unilaterally extended his term by one year and is recognised as president by the government of Salam Fayad , which governed parts of the West Bank. After this Aziz Dweik , as the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council , was recognized as acting president by the government of Ismail Haniyeh that governed the Gaza Strip. From 2014 to 2016 Rami Hamdallah

640-413: 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

720-608: 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

800-690: 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

880-564: 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

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960-469: A legal opinion on the presidential term of Mahmoud Abbas. It ruled that, based on Basic Law and Elections Law, the current term should be extended with one year, thus until 25 January 2010, the end of the current legislative term. Since the June 2007 split of the Palestinian administration there was also a competitive Fatwa and Legislation Office based in Gaza, the opinion was challenged. The Hamas faction disputed

1040-541: 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

1120-609: 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

1200-519: A recognition of state sovereignty. Until October 2006, Israel refused to use the title "President" for the Head of Palestine. The use of the term "Chairman" is controversial for the opposite reason—its use may be seen to imply denial of Palestinian aspirations for statehood. The Arabic term was used in the English text of the 1995 Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, part of

1280-511: Is debatable whether Abbas' first term started in 2005 or in 2006, while he took the presidential oath in January 2005. Elections for the second Legislative Council were on 25 January 2006. According to the law, the four-year term of both the president and Parliament would thus start at that date (2005 Elections Law, Art. 2). In July 2008, the Ramallah-based "Fatwa and Legislation Office" issued

1360-654: 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

1440-481: 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

1520-523: 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

1600-631: 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

1680-748: 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

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1760-605: The Oslo accords which established the PNA. A letter delivered from (PLO Chairman) Yasser Arafat to the then Prime Minister of Israel , Yitzhak Rabin , as part of the Gaza-Jericho agreement stated that "When Chairman Arafat enters the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, he will use the title 'Chairman (Ra'ees in Arabic) of the Palestinian Authority' or 'Chairman of the PLO', and will not use

1840-673: 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

1920-552: 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

2000-583: 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

2080-642: 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

2160-577: The 2003 Amended Basic Law states: The introduction of the Amended Basic Law refers to the Oslo Accords. Article III.3 of the Oslo II Accord determines: The Basic Law (the first version originally passed in 1997, but only ratified by President Yasser Arafat in 2002) refers to the interim period as defined in the Oslo Accords, although the interim period had already ended. Article 36 reads: Since

2240-433: The 2005 Elections Law No. 9, also issued on 13 August 2005, which additionally stipulates that the secret and free direct elections of President and Council members shall be held simultaneously . Furthermore, the 2005 Amended Law determines that "the term of the current Legislative Council shall terminate when the members of the new elected Council take the constitutional oath." The first four-year-term would thus start with

2320-585: 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

2400-462: 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,

2480-646: 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

Palestinian Cairo Declaration - Misplaced Pages Continue

2560-525: 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

2640-422: The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and of President of the Palestinian National Authority. The 2005 Basic Law amendment fixes a four-year term for both the president and Parliament, while the 2005 Elections Law (Art. 2) determines that both are elected simultaneously. But a half-year before the laws were signed, President Arafat had died, and Mahmoud Abbas was elected president, whereas

2720-564: 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

2800-692: 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

2880-477: 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

2960-682: The PLO and as the man who negotiated the Oslo Accords, became as a matter of course the first Ra'ees or President of the Palestinian National Authority on 5 July 1994, upon the formal inauguration of the governing body. With the elections on 20 January 1996 , Arafat's presidency for the interim phase was formalized. Arafat remained the president until his death on 11 November 2004, after which House Speaker Rauhi Fattouh became acting president. On 12 November, Fattouh instructed to start preparations for holding elections within 60 days. New elections were held on 9 January 2005 , and won by Mahmoud Abbas . Abbas's term expired on 9 January 2009, creating

3040-613: 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,

3120-567: The Palestinian National Authority The president of the Palestinian National Authority ( Arabic : رئيس السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية ) is the highest-ranking political position (equivalent to head of state ) in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). From 2003 to 2013, the president appointed the prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority , who normally required approval of the Palestinian Legislative Council , and who shares executive and administrative power with

3200-562: 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

3280-507: The Ramallah-based institution. The PCHR warned for two competitive presidents and as elections were under the present circumstances impossible anyway, it saw no alternative for dialogue between the parties. The office of the president becomes vacant when the term to which the president is elected ends or in exceptional cases. Exceptional cases are death, or resignation submitted to the Palestinian Legislative Council and accepted by two-thirds of its members, or loss of legal capacity, according to

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3360-474: 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

3440-489: 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

3520-570: 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

3600-433: 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

3680-501: 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

3760-438: 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

3840-463: 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

3920-518: 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

4000-587: 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

4080-501: 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

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4160-405: 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

4240-459: The exclusive power to appoint and remove Ministers and to preside over the meeting of the Council of Ministers (Art. 62). Ministers were to be approved by the Legislative Council. Under pressure from the international community and from within his own party, Fatah , Arafat appointed a Prime Minister (PM) on 19 March 2003. Accordingly, the Basic Law was amended the day before and the political system

4320-488: The first president was envisioned to cover the interim phase. The second president would be elected in a general and direct election by the Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories . An interim period of five years was defined in the Oslo I Accord and started on 4 May 1994. The first President of the PA was accordingly appointed on 5 July 1994 and elected on 20 January 1996 for the period ending 4 May 1999. Article 34 of

4400-417: 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

4480-487: 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

4560-437: 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

4640-420: 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

4720-440: 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

4800-525: 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

4880-423: The next Council. In 2005, the "current Legislative Council" was the one elected on 20 January 1996 . Given the stipulation that "The President and the council members shall be elected simultaneously" (Elections Law), this means that the new presidential term would start with the election of the new Council. The 2005 Amended Basic Law was promulgated on 13 August 2005 by Mahmoud Abbas in his capacity of Chairman of

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4960-431: The old parliament remained in function. To synchronize both terms, the lawmakers chose to stick the presidential elections on the elections of the second Legislative Council (Elections Law Art. 111). Contrary to the Elections Law, no presidential elections took place but instead Abbas, elected in 2005, remained in function. Nathan Brown argued that it was, in theory, a single election held on two different dates. However, it

5040-472: The original Basic Law was designed only for the interim period as specified in the Oslo Accords—a period that was supposed to end in 1999—there was no provision for re-election. The 2005 Amended Basic Law , issued on 13 August 2005, changed the president's term from "the interim phase" to "four years" and restricted the position to two consecutive terms. The law also fixed the term of the Palestinian Legislative Council to four years, in line with Article 2 of

5120-464: 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

5200-412: The president. In 2013 that position was abolished and substituted by the Prime Minister of the State of Palestine position. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA or PA) was created by the 1994 Gaza–Jericho Agreement . The 2002 Basic Law, passed by the PLC in 1997, but only ratified by President Yasser Arafat in 2002, originally established a presidential system, which granted the elected president

5280-417: The prime minister (Art. 45) and the pm is accountable to the president and to the Legislative Council, and the Ministers are accountable to the Prime Minister (Art. 74). A new Government is subjected to a vote of confidence by the PLC (Art. 66). The Prime Minister chairs the Council of Ministers (Art. 68). Under the 2002 Basic Law, the President presided the Council of Ministers. The president - The term of

5360-403: 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

5440-409: 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

5520-538: The title 'President of Palestine.'" In practice, when referring to the ra'ees in English documents and statements, the PNA uses the term "president", whereas Israel uses "chairman". News releases from its embassy in Israel refer to the PNA "chairman"; press briefings in Washington use "president"; both occasionally avoid the issue with "Palestinian leader". Israeli press refers to the leader variously as "ra'ees", "president", "chairman" or by name alone. The international English-language press mostly (but not always) follows

5600-467: The verdict, supported by the Gazan-based Fatwa and Legislation Office. They argued that the Basic Law overturns the Elections Law, and that PLC Speaker Aziz Dweik is the interim president with deputy PLC Speaker Ahmad Bahar being the legal acting president as the former was imprisoned in Israel. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights held the view that the issue should be judged by the Constitutional Court , but did not expect that Hamas would recognize

5680-468: 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

5760-480: 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

5840-458: 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,

5920-422: 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

6000-414: 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

6080-643: 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

6160-458: 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

6240-417: Was recognized by both sides as head of government and Mahmoud Abbas as president. The Arabic term Ra'ees or Ra'is (رئيس) can be translated to English as either "President" or "Chairman". As the status of Palestine as a political entity is controversial, the use of the term President to describe the leader of the Palestinian government is controversial to some, as its use may be seen to imply

6320-512: 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

6400-513: Was transformed into a semi-presidential one, meaning that President and PM were collectively responsible to the PLC. Effectively, the President was compelled to relinquish some of his executive and administrative powers to the Prime Minister. The 2003 Amended Basic Law limits the presidential powers: The 2003 Amended Basic Law stipulates that the president has the power to appoint and dismiss

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