A short-lived unity government was formed after months of wrangling, but fell apart in June as factional street battles broke out in Gaza and Hamas drove Fatah's security forces from the Strip.
From then on, Mr Abbas ruled the West Bank only, essentially by presidential decree. And when his four-year term ended in January , Hamas declared him illegitimate - although he argued that the Palestinian basic law called for presidential and legislative elections to be held at the same time, so he could legally stay in post for a further year until legislative polls due in January In November , he also was elected "president of a future Palestinian state" by the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
He had been chairman of the umbrella body - which represents Palestinian political factions although not Hamas and conducts negotiations with Israel - since the death of its previous leader, Yasser Arafat, in But the move was seen as a way of shoring up his authority.
Mr Abbas has walked a delicate line between appeasing Israeli and US demands that he improve security and participate in peace negotiations, and popular Palestinian pressure for genuine political and economic progress. And he has, in the past year, undermined his already fragile poll ratings with misjudged comments and actions.
Even Fatah supporters were angered when Mr Abbas was slow to condemn the punishing military assault that Israel launched on Gaza in December , and criticised the Hamas rocket fire Israel said it was trying to end. And Mr Abbas's credibility suffered further when the PA initially agreed, under Israeli and US pressure, to allow the postponement of a UN vote on the Goldstone report which was heavily critical of Israel's conduct during the operation.
But, under him and his appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the West Bank economy has shown signs of improvement while Gaza has suffered under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade aimed at weakening Hamas. Born in Safed in British Mandate Palestine in , he is one of the few surviving founder members of Fatah - the main political grouping within the PLO.
In exile in Qatar during the late s, he helped recruit a group of Palestinians to the cause. They went on to become key figures in the PLO. He co-founded Fatah with Arafat and accompanied him into exile in Jordan, then Lebanon and then Tunisia.
More from News. Vietnam reconsiders methane-emitting rice amid climate crisis. Activist recalls Manila blast as Marcos Jr candidacy looms. US jury can consider Rittenhouse provoked deadly violence: Judge. Most Read. But he is rotting in an Israeli prison, condemned to serve to five life sentences plus 40 years. He is backed by the Emiratis and was reportedly backed by the Trump administration too, but he has little legitimacy inside Palestinian territories.
Hamas is proscribed as a terrorist organization by many countries including the United States and can never be seen as a representative of the Palestinian people by the international community. Even among the Palestinians, while its popularity might rise, there are still enough who criticize it. Yara spoke to Foreign Policy by telephone from a street in Gaza that had been severely pounded. She feared a threat to her security and requested anonymity.
It remains to be seen if more Palestinians will actually opt for an armed struggle or if as anger subsidies the energy will simply fizzle out. Twitter: anchalvohra. Shusha was the key to the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Now Baku wants to turn the fabled fortress town into a resort.
Argument An expert's point of view on a current event. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas makes a speech to confirm that the Palestinian Authority will request full membership at the United Nations on Sept. May 24, , AM. Tags: Leaders , Palestine. Voice James Traub. What in the World? November 12, , PM. Trending 1.
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