By Wikipedia In an attempt to bolster its credibility among Palestinians, the Palestinian Authority has decided to take advantage of last Friday’s US veto of a UN…
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Mahmoud Abbas, also known by the kunya Abu Mazen, has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah (فتح Fataḥ) ticket. Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally extended his term for another year. Rival political party Hamas announced it would not recognise the extension. Abbas was chosen as the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization by the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Central Council on 23 November 2008, a job he had held unofficially since 8 May 2005. The current Israeli government led by Binyamin Netanyahu has made repeated requests for continued negotiations without preconditions, but Abbas has refused to negotiate unless Israel completely halts all settlement construction and natural growth, a demand that Israel wishes to discuss within the negotiations themselves. The United States, France, United Nations, and others have called on the Palestinian Authority to resume negotiations with Israel immediately, but these calls have been ignored. Abbas served as the first Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority from March to October 2003 when he resigned citing lack of support from Israel and the United States as well as "internal incitement" against his government. Before being named prime minister, Abbas led the PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department.
