TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 13. Both leaders met in Moscow to discuss the current situation in the Middle East, as Tempo reported on August 13.

"Aside from discussing several urgent issues related to the further development of bilateral relations, the two presidents are expected to exchange views on the situation in the Middle East in light of the current escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the unprecedented humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip," Kremlin said in a Telegram messaging app.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has so far shown no signs of abating. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has been working for peace in the Gaza Strip even before his presidency.

But who exactly is Abbas? Here is a short profile of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, cited from Aljazeera and Britannica.

Biography of Mahmoud Abbas

• Name: Mahmoud Abbas
• Also known as Abu Mazen
• Born: 1935 (age 89), Safed, Palestine (now in Israel)

Mahmoud Abbas was born in 1935 in Safed—a mixed Arab-Jewish town, which is now a part of Israel's occupation area. He then fled with his family to Syria during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Despite living in exile, Abbas still managed to earn a law degree. Mahmoud Abbas fulfilled his education at the University of Damascus.

In 1982, he completed his doctoral degree after defending his dissertation at the Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow, Russia.

This Palestinian leader, who is also a book author, is married to Amina Abbas. They have three kids from the marriage.

Early Political Life of Abbas

Prior to his presidency, Abbas once joined Qatar's civil service in the 1950s. This experience enabled him to establish a network of Palestinian individuals and groups.

In 1961, Abbas was approached by Yasser Arafat, the then-Palestinian leader, to be a member of the Arab-Palestinian military and political organization, Fatah.

Soon, he became a key figure of Fatah and dominated the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). At the PLO, he was responsible for the international department in the late 1970s.

In 1993, he initiated the talks between Palestine and Israel, leading to the Oslo peace accord. The accord itself resulted in a mutually agreed two-state solution.

To be precise, the Oslo Accord allows Palestinians to have limited self-governance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This event eventually led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Abbas' Presidency

Despite the tireless peacemaking efforts, the Israel-Palestinian conflict didn't come to an end. Seeing Arafat as an obstacle to peace between Israel and the United States, Mahmoud Abbas was appointed prime minister in 2003.

Unfortunately, Abbas' tenure did not last long. He soon stepped down, claiming that Israel and the US undermined him.

Then, after the death of Yasser Arafat in November 2004, Abbas became the chairman of PLO. This position turned out to be an advantage for him to win the 2005 election. Gaining over 60 percent of the vote, Abbas officially succeeded Arafat as president of the PA.

During his presidency, the well-known moderate Palestinian leader faced several criticisms. It was not until the Palestinian group Hamas defeated Fatah in 2006.

To create a likable situation, Abbas decided to work with Israel. Alas, this measure was ineffective as the peace process was eventually stalled.

Furthermore, Mahmoud Abbas initially ran for a four-year term after his installment as the president. However, he has not resigned from the office, since elections were repeatedly postponed.

FRIA SUMITRO

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