Editing Mahmoud Abbas (section)

{{Short description|President of Palestine since 2005}}
{{other people}}
{{Distinguish|Ali Mahmoud Abbas}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[Excellency|His Excellency]]
| name                = Mahmoud Abbas
| native_name         = {{nobold|مَحْمُود عَبَّاس}}
| native_name_lang    = ar
| image               = Mahmoud Abbas 2024.jpg
| caption             = Abbas in 2024
| order               = 2nd
| office              = President of Palestine
| primeminister       = [[Salam Fayyad]]<br />[[Rami Hamdallah]]<br />[[Mohammad Shtayyeh]]<br />[[Mohammad Mustafa (economist)|Mohammad Mustafa]]
| vicepresident       = [[Hussein al-Sheikh]]
| term_start          = 15 January 2005
| term_end            =
| predecessor         = [[Yasser Arafat]]<br>[[Rawhi Fattouh]] (interim)
| successor           = 
| order1              = 2nd
| office1             = President of the Palestinian National Authority
| primeminister1      = [[Ahmed Qurei]]<br />[[Nabil Shaath]] (acting)<br />Ahmed Qurei<br />[[Ismail Haniyeh]]<br />Salam Fayyad{{efn|The position of [[Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority]] was abolished in 2013 and replaced by the [[Prime Minister of the State of Palestine|prime minister of the State of Palestine]]. Fayyad is the last to hold the precursor position under Abbas.}}
| term_start1         = 15 January 2005{{efn|Abbas's term as president expired 15 January 2009, after which [[Aziz Duwaik]] had been recognised as president by the Haniyeh government in the [[Gaza Strip]], while Abbas is recognised as president by the [[Salam Fayyad|Fayyad]] government in the [[West Bank]] and all the states that recognise the independence of Palestine, as well as the UN.<ref name="Jpost 2009" /> In April 2014, he was recognized by Haniyeh in the context of the [[Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014|Unity Government]].<ref name="unity" />}}
| term_end1           = 
| predecessor1        = {{ubl|Yasser Arafat|Rawhi Fattouh (interim)}}
| successor1          = 
| order2              = 4th
| office2             = Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization
| term_start2         = 11 November 2004{{efn|[[Acting (law)|Acting]]: 29 October – 11 November 2004}}
| term_end2           = 
| predecessor2        = Yasser Arafat
| successor2          =
| order3              = 1st 
| office3             = Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
| president3          = Yasser Arafat
| term_start3         = 19 March 2003
| term_end3           = 6 September 2003<ref name=ap_060903 />
| predecessor3        = ''Office established''
| successor3          = Ahmed Qurei
| birth_name          = Mahmoud Rida Abbas
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1935|11|15|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Safed]], [[Mandatory Palestine]] 
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Fatah]]
| spouse              = [[Amina Abbas]]
| children            = 3, including [[Yasser Abbas|Yasser]]
| residence           = [[Ramallah]], West Bank<ref name="Britannica" />
| alma_mater          = {{ubl|[[Damascus University]]|[[Peoples' Friendship University of Russia|Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University]]}}
}}
{{Palestinian leaders}} {{Politics of Palestine}}
'''Mahmoud Abbas''' ({{langx|ar|مَحْمُود عَبَّاس|Maḥmūd ʿAbbās}}; born 15 November 1935), also known by the [[Kunya (Arabic)|kunya]] '''Abu Mazen''' ({{langx|ar|أَبُو مَازِن|links=no}}, {{transliteration|ar|ʾAbū Māzin}}), is a Palestinian politician who has been serving as the second [[president of Palestine]] and the [[President of the Palestinian National Authority|Palestinian National Authority]] ([[Palestinian National Authority|PNA]]) since 2005.<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 also been the fourth [[chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization]] ([[PLO]]) since 2004. Abbas is also a member of the [[Fatah]] party and was elected the party's 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 |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=3 September 2024}}</ref> Nonetheless, Abbas is internationally recognized in his position(s) and Hamas and Fatah conducted numerous negotiations in the following years,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/No-political-differences-between-Fatah-Hamas |title='No political differences between Fatah, Hamas' |last=Abu Toameh |first=Khaled |date=5 March 2012 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref> leading to [[2014 Fatah–Hamas Agreements|an agreement]] in April 2014 for a [[Palestinian Unity Government of June 2014|Unity Government]] (which lasted until October 2016) and to the recognition of his office by Hamas.<ref name="unity">{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Features/In-Thespotlight/Politics-Fatah-Hamas-unity-talks-breed-Likud-harmony-351723 |title=Politics: Fatah-Hamas unity talks breed Likud harmony |first=Herb |last=Keinon |date=10 May 2014 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref> Abbas was chosen to continue serving as president by the PLO Central Council on 23 November 2008.<ref name="p2008" />

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 |work=BBC News |first=Yolande |last=Knell |access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref> Abbas was a key player in negotiations for peace and in talks laying the groundwork for the Israel-Palestine [[two-state solution]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-10 |title=Mahmoud Abbas: Biography, Palestinian Authority, Two-State Solution, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mahmoud-Abbas |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=Britannica  |language=en}}</ref>