Editing Mahmoud Abbas (section)

==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 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en |date=22 May 2024}}</ref> was born on 15 November 1935<ref name="officialresume">{{Cite web |url=http://www.president.ps/eng/officialresume.aspx |title=Biography of the President |date=2016 |website=President of the State of Palestine |access-date=26 January 2020 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330020535/http://president.ps/eng/officialresume.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> in [[Safed]], in the [[Galilee]] region of [[Mandatory Palestine]] (now [[Israel]]).<ref name="Sela">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Sela |first=Avraham |author-link=Avraham Sela |encyclopedia=The Continuum Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East |title=Abbas, Mahmud |date=2002 |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-82641-053-5 |page=11}}</ref> His family fled to [[Syria]] during the [[1948 Palestine war]].<ref name="Sela"/> Before going to [[Egypt]], Abbas graduated from the [[University of Damascus]], where he studied law.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mahmoud Abbas Fast Facts|url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/12/04/world/meast/mahmoud-abbas---fast-facts/index.html|work=[[CNN]]|date=4 December 2012 |access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref>

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=3 September 2024}}</ref>

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 |work=[[Al Bawaba]] |access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref> The [[Kunya (Arabic)|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]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/PA-officials-scandalized-at-disclosure-by-Abbass-son-of-vast-personal-fortune |title=PA officials scandalised at disclosure by Abbas's son of vast personal fortune |first=Khaled |last=Abu Toameh |date=16 April 2009 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thewisdomdaily.com/why-palestinia-president-mahmoud-abbas-grandchildren-give-him-hope/ |title=Why Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Grandchildren Give Him Hope |first=Irwin |last=Kula |author-link=Irwin Kula |date=25 September 2013 |website=The Wisdom Daily |access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref>