Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is a very controversial person. On the one hand, his struggle for the freedom and independence of his native country causes genuine respect. On the other hand, some of his methods of conducting political battles clearly go beyond what is permitted. But let's talk about everything in order.
Abbas Mahmoud: short biography
The future Palestinian leader was born on March 26, 1935 in the city of Safed, today it is the northern part of Israel. When Mahmud was 13 years old, the Arab-Israeli war broke out. Therefore, in 1948, the family was forced to leave their home and move to Syria.
Abbas Mahmud received his higher education at Damascus University, graduating from the faculty of jurisprudence. A little later he moved to Moscow, where he entered the Institute of Oriental Studies. In 1983, he defended his doctoral thesis on "The Secret Link Between Nazism and Zionism". It should be noted that the lines from this work will repeatedly become the cause of scandals and reproaches from people who accuse Mahmud of Holocaust denial.
Upon arrival athomeland became an ardent public figure defending the rights of the Palestinians. Moreover, Abbas Mahmoud is one of the founding fathers of the Palestine National Liberation Movement (FATAH). Later, their group became the heart of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which coordinated the actions of all Palestinians who wanted to free themselves from Israeli influence.
Political career
In early 1980, Abbas Mahmoud was elected to the Executive Committee of the PLO. Thanks to his strong convictions and sharp mind, he quickly moves up the career ladder.
In the 90s, he was engaged in the settlement of Israeli-Palestinian relations. In 1993, together with Yasser Arafat, he visits Washington, where they sign the Declaration of Principles together.
In 1996, Mahmoud Abbas assumes the duties of Secretary General of the PLO. Thanks to this position, he becomes the second in the hierarchy of the organization, yielding in his authority only to the head of the organization, Yasser Arafat.
After the death of the latter at the end of 2004, M. Abbas becomes the leader of the Palestinian Authority. True, according to official data, he accepted this position only in January 2005. And on November 23, 2008, the PLO council elects him as the new president of the PNA.
His most significant contribution to the development of independence was the renaming of the PNA into the State of Palestine on January 5, 2013. At the same time, Abbas changed not only the name of the country itself, but also introduced a number of bills approving new symbols, a flag, a coat of arms and an anthem.
Palestinian president scandals
Start with the fact that not everyone recognizes the power of the new leader. Thus, for many Jews, Abbas Mahmoud is only the self-proclaimed president of a non-existent state (as of 2014, only 135 out of 193 countries recognized New Palestine).
Also, some are not happy with the way Mahmoud Abbas treats Jews. And the point is not even in his dissertation, but in how he positions his current policy towards this nation. For example, in 2010, a note appeared in the media that Abbas was allegedly against Jewish families living on Palestinian land.
