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}} {{Palestinian leaders}} {{Politics of Palestine}}
'''Mahmoud Abbas''' ({{lang-ar|مَحْمُود عَبَّاس|Maḥmūd ʿAbbās}}; born 15 November 1935), also known by the [[Kunya (Arabic)|kunya]] '''Abu Mazen''' ({{lang-ar|أَبُو مَازِن|links=no}}, {{transliteration|ar|ʾAbū Māzin}}), is a Palestinian politician who is the [[president of the State of Palestine]] and the [[President of the Palestinian National Authority|Palestinian National Authority]] ([[Palestinian National Authority|PNA]]).<ref name=unnews20130926>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=46043 |title=Current talks 'last chance' for just peace with Israel, Palestinian leader tells UN |date=26 September 2013 |website=United Nations News Centre |access-date=26 January 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124093935/https://news.un.org/en/story/2013/09/450902 |archive-date=2020-11-24}}</ref> 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 [[2005 Palestinian presidential election |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.<ref name="Abbas-no-longer-president">{{cite web |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/09/Hamas-Abbas-no-longer-president/19361231560412/ |title=Hamas: Abbas no longer president |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=9 January 2009 |website=[[United Press International]] |access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref><ref name="Abu Toameh">{{cite news |url=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Abbas-planning-to-extend-his-own-term |title=Abbas planning to extend his own term |first=Khaled |last=Abu Toameh |date=14 December 2008 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref><ref name="Hamas: Abbas no longer heads PA">{{cite news |url=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Hamas-Abbas-no-longer-heads-PA-128520 |title=Hamas: Abbas no longer heads PA |first=Khaled |last=Abu Toameh |date=9 January 2009 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=
Abbas served as the first [[prime minister of the Palestinian Authority]] from March to September 2003.<ref name="CNN_060903" /> Before being named prime minister, Abbas led 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]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=al-Omari |first=Ghaith |date=2023-10-19 |title=How the Palestinian Authority Failed Its People |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/palestinian-authority-gaza-hamas/675695/ |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-66741336 |title=Outrage over Abbas's antisemitic speech on Jews and Holocaust |date=7 September 2023 |newspaper=BBC News |first=Yolande |last=Knell |access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref>
==Early and personal life==
Mahmoud Rida Abbas<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who is Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority president - and why does he matter? |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/explainer-who-mahmoud-abbas-profile-palestine-authority |access-date=3 September 2024
Abbas later entered graduate studies at the [[Peoples' Friendship University of Russia|Patrice Lumumba University]] in [[Moscow]], where he earned a [[Kandidat nauk|Candidate of Sciences]] degree<ref name=kom/><ref name="Seddon2004">{{cite book |first=David |last=Seddon |title=A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qmYMy1Ls8ucC&pg=PA1 |access-date=28 August 2011 |year=2004 |location=London, UK |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=978-1-85743-212-1 |pages=1–2}}</ref> (the Soviet equivalent of a PhD). His doctoral dissertation was ''[[The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/170686/mahmoud-abbas-still-a-holocaust-denier |title=Sorry, New York Times: Abbas Is Still A Holocaust Denier |first=Yair |last=Rosenberg |date=27 April 2014 |magazine=[[Tablet (magazine)|Tablet]] |access-date=
He is married to Amina Abbas, and together they had three sons. The eldest, Mazen Abbas, ran a building company in [[Doha]] and died in [[Qatar]] of a heart attack in 2002 at the age of 42.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.albawaba.com/news/eldest-son-plo-no-2-dies |title=Eldest son of PLO no. 2 dies |date=16 June 2002 |newspaper=[[Al Bawaba]] |access-date=
==Political activism and career==
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[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Palestine 18 January 2011-11.jpeg |left|thumb| Abbas with Russian President [[Dmitry Medvedev]], 18 January 2011. ]]
[[File:P20220715AS-0903 (52325477645).jpg |left|thumb| Abbas with U.S. President [[Joe Biden]] at the Palestinian Presidential Palace in Bethlehem, 15 July 2022. ]]
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.<ref name="MFA">{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/terrorism/palestinian/pages/suicide%20and%20other%20bombing%20attacks%20in%20israel%20since.aspx |title=Suicide and Other Bombing Attacks in Israel Since the Declaration of Principles (Sept 1993) |date=April 2016 |website=[[Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] |access-date=26 January 2020 |url-status=
On 8 February 2005, Abbas met with Israeli Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] at the [[Sharm el-Sheikh Summit of 2005|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 in Israel|Palestinian prisoners]] of the 7,500 being held at the time,<ref name=Reinhardtp77>{{cite book |title=The Road Map to Nowhere: Israel/Palestine Since 2003 |first=Tanya |last=Reinhart |author-link=Tanya Reinhart |location=London, UK |publisher=[[Verso Books|Verso]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-84467-076-5 |page=77}}</ref> and to withdraw from West Bank towns.
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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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/world/middleeast/17mideast.html |title=Palestinian Leadership Council Extends President Abbas's Term |first=Isabel |last=Kershner |date=17 December 2009 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref> In April 2014, Hamas withdrew its objection, in order to form a [[Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014|Unity Government]] with Fatah.<ref name="unity"/>
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.<ref>
On 31 December 2014, Abbas signed an application for Palestine to join the [[International Criminal Court]],<ref name="FP_ICC">{{cite web |last1=Hatuqa |first1=Dalia |title=How Long Can Mahmoud Abbas Hold On? |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/01/16/can-mahmoud-abbas-hold-on-palestinian-successor-icc/ |website=Foreign Policy |access-date=18 October 2023 |date=16 January 2015}}</ref> just one day after the UN Security Council voted against a resolution demanding the end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and statehood for Palestine by 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Beaumont |first1=Peter |title=US and Israeli intervention led UN to reject Palestinian resolution |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/31/us-israel-un-reject-palestinian-resolution-nigeria-security-council |website=The Guardian |date=31 December 2014 |access-date=18 October 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref name="FP_ICC"></ref>
[[File:Foreign Leader Visits (34779880355).jpg
On 22 August 2015, Abbas announced his resignation as chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO,<ref name="english.alarabiya.net">{{cite web |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/08/22/Palestinian-President-Mahmoud-Abbas-resigns.html |title=PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas quits leadership post |date=22 August 2015 |website=[[Al Arabiya]] News |access-date=19 June 2016}}</ref> and subsequently called for an emergency meeting of the PNC to hold an election. The announcement drew criticisms and speculation as to his motives.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rudoren |first1=Jodi |title=In West Bank, Speculation Abounds Over Mahmoud Abbas's Plans |work=The New York Times |date=September 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/world/middleeast/in-west-bank-speculation-abounds-over-mahmoud-abbass-plans.html |access-date=18 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Frykberg |first1=Mel |title=Critics slam Mahmoud Abbas' PLO resignation as 'farce' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/8/28/critics-slam-mahmoud-abbas-plo-resignation-as-farce |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=28 Aug 2015}}</ref> His proposed special session of the PNC was postponed indefinitely,<ref name=maan_postponed>{{cite web |url=https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=767521 |title=PNC chair confirms controversial session postponed |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=9 September 2015 |website=[[Ma'an News Agency]] |access-date=26 January 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207174841/https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=767521 |archive-date=7 December 2015}}</ref> and he remains acting chairman of the PLC as of October 2023.▼
▲On 22 August 2015, Abbas announced his resignation as chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO,<ref name="english.alarabiya.net">{{cite web |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/08/22/Palestinian-President-Mahmoud-Abbas-resigns.html |title=PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas quits leadership post |date=22 August 2015 |website=[[Al Arabiya|Al Arabiya News]]
In 2021, [[2021 Palestinian local elections |local elections in Palestine]] were held amidst a rift between Abbas and [[Hamas]].<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Ayyub|first1=Rami|last2=Sawafta|first2=Ali|date=11 December 2021|title=Palestinians vote in local elections amid rising anger with Abbas|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/palestinians-vote-local-elections-amid-rising-anger-with-abbas-2021-12-11/|access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref> This was after he had indefinitely postponed the [[Next Palestinian presidential election|presidential election]] and [[Next Palestinian legislative election|parliamentary elections]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=11 December 2021|title=Some 400,000 Palestinians vote in rare municipal elections|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/palestinians-mahmoud-abbas-west-bank-hamas-palestinian-authority-b1974278.html|access-date=3 September 2024|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref>
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."<ref>{{cite news |title=Palestinian President Abbas condemns violence against civilians |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/palestinian-president-says-he-rejects-killing-civilians-both-sides-conflict-2023-10-12/ |work=Reuters |date=12 October 2023 |access-date=3 September 2024 |first= Ali |last=Sawafta}}</ref> He called for the "release of civilians, prisoners and detainees" and expressed concern about the consequences of Israel's [[October 2023 Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip|total blockade of the Gaza Strip]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Palestinian President Abbas condemns violence against civilians |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/palestinian-president-abbas-condemns-violence-against-civilians |work=The Straits Times |date=12 October 2023 |access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref> Abbas declared three days of mourning following the [[Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion]] and canceled a planned meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Ibrahim|first1=Arwa|last2=Siddiqui|first2=Usaid|last3=Mohamed |first3=Edna |last4=Hatuqa |first4=Dalia |last5=Stepansky |first5=Joseph |title=Hundreds of casualties as Israel hits Gaza hospital sheltering thousands|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/10/16/israel-hamas-war-live-iran-warns-resistance-front-may-attack |date=17 October 2023 |website=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] |language=en |access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref> In February 2024, he called the [[Al-Rashid humanitarian aid incident]] an "ugly massacre" that was perpetrated by the "Israeli occupation army."<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 February 2024 |title=Dozens killed waiting for aid in Gaza as overall death toll passes 30,000, Hamas-run health ministry says |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/29/dozens-killed-waiting-for-aid-in-gaza-as-overall-death-toll-passes-30000-hamas-run-health-ministry-says.html | ▲[[File:Foreign Leader Visits (34779880355).jpg |center|thumb| Abbas with U.S. President [[Donald Trump]] in Washington, D.C., 3 May 2017. ]]
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On 25 July 2005, he announced that he would move his office to [[Gaza City|Gaza]] until the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops in order to coordinate the Palestinian side of the withdrawal, mediating between the different factions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4715627.stm |title=Abbas moves to Gaza for pullout |date=25 July 2005 |website=BBC News |access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/02/mideast/index.html |title=
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."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Emerging_Threats/Analysis/2008/05/20/analysis_the_palestinians_trump_card/6996/ |title=Analysis: The Palestinians' trump card |first=Claude |last=Salhani|author-link=Claude Salhani |date=20 May 2008 |website=United Press International |access-date=26 January 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521093753/http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Emerging_Threats/Analysis/2008/05/20/analysis_the_palestinians_trump_card/6996/ |archive-date=21 May 2008}}</ref>
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).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thejc.com/news/israel-news/149618/abbas-admits-rejecting-ehud-olmerts-peace-offer |title=Abbas admits rejecting Ehud Olmert's peace offer |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=19 November 2015 |newspaper=[[The Jewish Chronicle]] |access-date=19 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324082013/http://www.thejc.com/news/israel-news/149618/abbas-admits-rejecting-ehud-olmerts-peace-offer |archive-date=2016-03-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.thetower.org/2580-breaking-abbas-admits-for-the-first-time-that-he-turned-down-peace-offer-in-2008/ |title=Abbas Admits For the First Time That He Turned Down Peace Offer in 2008 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=17 November 2015 |magazine=[[The Tower Magazine]] |access-date=
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."<ref>
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."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/162-no-exit-gaza-israel-between-wars.pdf |title=No Exit? Gaza & Israel Between Wars: Middle East Report No.162 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=26 August 2015 |website=[[International Crisis Group]] |page=33 |access-date=26 January 2020 |archive-date=12 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612072330/https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/162-no-exit-gaza-israel-between-wars.pdf |url-status=dead
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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.726657 |title=Abbas Repeats Debunked Claim That Rabbis Called to Poison Palestinian Water in Brussels Speech |last1=Ravid |first1=Barak |last2=Khoury |first2=Jack |date=23 June 2016 |newspaper=Haaretz |access-date=
[[File:Direct talks in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on September 14, 2010 2.jpg |right|thumb| Abbas meets with then US Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] and Israeli Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]]. ]]
===With Hamas===
On 25 May 2006, Abbas gave [[Hamas]] a ten-day deadline to accept the [[Six-Day War |1967 ceasefire lines]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/25/palestinian.talks/ |title=Abbas gives Hamas 10 days to accept Israel |date=25 May 2006 |website=CNN |access-date=
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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://us.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/12/16/abbas/index.html |title=Palestinian president calls for early elections |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=16 December 2006 |website=CNN |access-date=
On 17 March 2007, a [[Palestinian government of March 2007|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.{{cn|date=November 2023}} For this reason, Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister has [[Governance of the Gaza Strip|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL0880166 |title=Opinion of lawyer who drafted Palestinian law |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=8 July 2007 |website=Reuters |access-date=
On 18 June 2007, the European Union promised to resume direct aid to the Palestinian Authority, and Abbas dissolved the [[Palestinian Security Services|National Security Council]], a sticking point in the defunct unity government with Hamas.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/18/business/mideast.php |title=Abbas dissolves Palestinian National Security Council, rallying international support |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=18 June 2007 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=[[International Herald Tribune]] |access-date=26 January 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621092227/http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/18/business/mideast.php |archive-date=21 June 2007}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/19/sports/pals.php |title=U.S. ends embargo on Palestinian Authority in move to bolster Fatah |first=Helene |last=Cooper |date=19 June 2007 |newspaper=International Herald Tribune |access-date=26 January 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002021516/http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/19/sports/pals.php |archive-date=2 October 2007}}</ref> A day later, the Fatah Central Committee cut off all ties and dialogue with Hamas, pending the return of Gaza.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/19/africa/ME-GEN-Palestinians-Fatah-Hamas.php |title=Fatah's leadership decides to cut off all contacts with Hamas |agency=Associated Press |date=19 June 2007 |newspaper=International Herald Tribune |access-date=26 January 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016061625/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/19/africa/ME-GEN-Palestinians-Fatah-Hamas.php |archive-date=16 October 2007}}</ref>
On 26 July 2023, Abbas met with Turkish President [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] and Hamas leader [[Ismail Haniyeh]]. Behind the meeting was [[Turkey]]'s effort to reconcile Fatah with Hamas.<ref>{{cite news |title=Erdogan hosts PA's Abbas, Hamas head Haniyeh to prepare for détente talks |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/erdogan-hosts-pas-abbas-hamas-head-haniyeh-to-prepare-for-detente-talks/ |work=The Times of Israel |date=26 July 2023 |access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref>
===With foreign leaders===
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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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/mediacenter/article.php?story=20100209112446197_en |title=President of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas visits Hiroshima |website=Hiroshima Peace Media Center |access-date=19 June 2016 |archive-date=12 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012094038/http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/mediacenter/article.php?story=20100209112446197_en |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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,"<ref name="Ma'an News Agency">{{cite news |url=http://www.maannews.net/eng/viewdetails.aspx?id=432399 |title=In memoir, Rice says 'historic peace' nearly reached |date=25 October 2011 |website=Ma'an News Agency |access-date=11 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105134453/http://www.maannews.net/eng/viewdetails.aspx?id=432399 |archive-date=5 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="Yedioth Ahronoth">{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4138022,00.html |title=Rice: I thought peace was within reach |date=23 October 2011 |newspaper=[[
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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/7a0ea4857106432885d845ab027591d4|title=Palestinians
==Criticism and controversy==
===Corruption allegations===
There are frequent allegations that officials of the [[Palestinian Authority]], including Abbas, have systematically embezzled public funds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/report-corruption-palestine-institutions-gaza.html |title=Report Highlights Corruption In Palestinian Institutions |first=Hazem |last= Balousha |date=6 May 2013 |website=[[Al-Monitor]] |access-date=
Abbas's mentor and predecessor, [[Yasser Arafat]], was accused of embezzling billions of dollars of Palestinian money.<ref>{{cite web |url=
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 the [[United States|US]], the [[European Union|EU]] and [[Arab]] donors. According to Rashid, Abbas's net worth was {{currency|100|USD}} [[million]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/04/01/palestinian-authority-wants-ottawas-help-seizing-former-arafat-advisors-canadian-assets/ |title=Palestinian Authority wants Ottawa's help seizing former Arafat advisor's Canadian assets |first=Adrian |last=Humphreys |date=1 April 2013 |newspaper=[[National Post]] |access-date=9 June 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624191649/http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/04/01/palestinian-authority-wants-ottawas-help-seizing-former-arafat-advisors-canadian-assets/ |archive-date=24 June 2013}}</ref>
On 10 July 2012, Abbas and his sons were attacked, in the [[United States Congress|US Congress]], for their alleged corruption. The debate was entitled ''Chronic Kleptocracy: Corruption Within the Palestinian Political Establishment.''<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-lawmakers-slam-mahmoud-abbas-for-alleged-corruption-1.450279 |title=U.S. lawmakers slam Mahmoud Abbas for alleged corruption |first=Natasha |last=Mozgovaya |date=11 July 2012 |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=
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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL9347117 |title=Firms run by President Abbas's sons get US contracts |first=Adam |last=Entous |date=22 April 2009 |website=Reuters |access-date=
One of his sons, Yasser Abbas (but not brother Tarek or father Mahmoud), filed a {{USD|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."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://legaltimes.typepad.com/files/abbas-complaint.pdf |title=Yasser Abbas v. Foreign Policy Group LLC, Complaint for Defamation, Civil Action No. 12-cv-01565 |website=US District Court, District of Columbia |access-date=
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.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/09/27/libel-suit-highlights-abbas-corruption/ |title=Libel Suit Highlights Abbas Corruption |first=Jonathon S. |last=Tobin |date=27 September 2012 |magazine=[[Commentary (magazine)|Commentary]] |access-date=9 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204150135/http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/09/27/libel-suit-highlights-abbas-corruption/ |archive-date=2012-12-04}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Civ. Action No. 12-1565 (EGS)">{{cite web |url=https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2012cv1565-28 |title=Memorandum Opinion, Civ. Action No. 12-1565 (EGS) |first=Judge Emmet G. |last=Sullivan |date=27 September 2013 |website=US District Court for the District of Columbia |access-date=
As part of the 2016 [[Panama Papers]] data leak, it was revealed that Abbas's son Tareq Abbas holds {{USD|1}} million in shares of an offshore company associated with the [[Palestinian Authority]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/1.713347 |title=Panama Papers: Leaks Reveal Abbas' Son's $1m Holding in Company With Ties to Palestinian Authority |first1=Uri |last1=Blau |first2=Daniel |last2=Dolev |date=7 April 2016 |newspaper=Haaretz |access-date=
In June 2021, hundreds of Palestinians held protests against the Abbas administration's corruption and brutality in central [[Ramallah]] (including one held at the president's headquarters) after anti-corruption activist [[Nizar Banat]] died in government custody.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Rasgon |first1=Adam |last2=Kershner |first2=Isabel |date=7 July 2021 |title=Critic's Death Puts Focus on Palestinian Authority's Authoritarianism |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/world/middleeast/Palestinian-Authority-protesters.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220106025538/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/world/middleeast/Palestinian-Authority-protesters.html%23commentsContainer |archive-date=6 January 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
One of the common claims made by detractors against his government is that it works effectively as a subcontractor for the Israeli government; in spite of his strong verbal criticism of the Israeli government, there is widespread disdain for his administration within the Palestinian Authority.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://theintercept.com/2023/09/15/palestinian-authority-mahmoud-abbas-oslo-accords/ |title=Mahmoud Abbas Holocaust Controversy Spotlights Deep Disillusion With Palestinian Authority |first=Alice |last=Speri |date=15 September 2023 |newspaper=[[National Post]] |access-date=
===Published works and statements about the Holocaust===
{{main|The Other Side: the Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism}}
''The Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement 1933–1945'' is the title of Abbas's [[Candidate of Sciences|CandSc]] thesis, which was completed in 1982 at the [[Peoples' Friendship University of Russia]], and defended at the [[Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences|Institute of Oriental Studies of the Soviet Academy of Sciences]].The dissertation and book discussed topics such as the [[Haavara Agreement]], in which the [[Jewish Agency for Israel|Jewish Agency]] signed a pact with [[Nazi Germany]] to facilitate Jewish emigration to Palestine.<ref name=kom>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=538949 |title=Аббас на глиняных ногах |trans-title=Abbas has feet of clay |first1=Mikhail |last1=Zigar |first2=Grigory |last2=Asmolov |date=17 January 2005 |magazine=[[Kommersant]]-Vlast |issue=605 |language=ru |page=56 |access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://berkovich-zametki.com/2005/Zametki/Nomer11/Gorelik1.htm |title=Как товарищи Махмуд Аббас и Евгений Примаков Холокост отрицали |trans-title=How comrades Mahmoud Abbas and Yevgeny Primakov denied the Holocaust |first=Vadim |last=Gorelik |date=November 2005 |website=Notes on Jewish History |language=ru |access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref> Some content of his thesis has been considered as [[Holocaust denial]] by some Jewish groups,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1933453.stm |title=Profile: Mahmoud Abbas |date=5 November 2009 |website=[[BBC News]] |access-date=
In 1984, he published a book 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'') based on the dissertation. In the book Abbas dismissed as a "myth" and "fantastic lie" that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Abbas-shifts-stance-on-Holocaust-350526 |title=Abbas: Holocaust 'most heinous crime' in modern era |date=27 April 2014 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=
<blockquote>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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/u-s-told-us-to-ignore-israeli-map-reservations-1.8840 |title=U.S. told us to ignore Israeli map reservations |first=Akiva |last=Eldar |date=28 May 2003 |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=
In August 2022, during a joint press conference with German Chancellor [[Olaf Scholz]] in [[Berlin]], Abbas was asked by an attending journalist if he would apologize for the 1972 [[Munich massacre]] of Israeli Olympic athletes by Palestinian terrorists. He responded that "If we want to go over the past, go ahead. I have 50 slaughters that Israel committed… 50 massacres, 50 slaughters, 50 holocausts." In an interview afterwards with the ''[[Bild]]'' tabloid, Scholz condemned Abbas's statements as a [[Trivializing the Holocaust|trivialization of the Holocaust]]. The remarks were also condemned by the [[Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=staff |first1=T. O. I. |last2=Agencies |title=In Berlin, Abbas says Israel committed 'holocausts' against the Palestinians; Scholz grimaces silently, later condemns remarks |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/in-berlin-abbas-skirts-apology-for-munich-attack-says-israel-committed-holocausts/ |access-date=
In August 2023, during a speech to the Fatah Revolutionary Council, Abbas claimed that Hitler killed Jews because of their "social role" as moneylenders, rather than out of antisemitism, and that Ashkenazi Jews are [[Khazar hypothesis of Ashkenazi ancestry|descendants of Khazars]]. His comments were condemned by the United States, European Union, France, and Germany,<ref>{{Cite web |
== See also ==
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<ref name="p2008">
{{cite news |url=http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2008/November/middleeast_November480.xml§ion=middleeast |title=PLO body elects Abbas 'president of Palestine' |date=24 November 2008 |newspaper=[[Khaleej Times]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse|AFP]] |quote=
<ref name="Britannica">
{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ramallah |title=Ramallah: Town, West Bank |date=29 April 2014 |website=[[Britannica.com]] |access-date=15 March 2015 |quote=Ramallah, also spelled Rām Allāh, town in the West Bank, adjacent to the town of Al-Bīrah (east) and north of Jerusalem.}}</ref>
<ref name="Jpost 2009">{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Dweik-is-real-Palestinian-president |title= 'Dweik is real Palestinian president' |first=Khaled |last=Abu Toameh |author-link=Khaled Abu Toameh |date=25 June 2009 |newspaper=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |access-date=
}}
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[[Category:Prime ministers of the Palestinian National Authority]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Star of Romania]]
[[Category:Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana]]
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