New Palestinian Authority Cabinet
April 29, 2003
Fact Sheet:
The Palestinian Authority (“PA”) Prime Minister designate, Mahmoud Abbas, will
submit the following Cabinet to the Palestinian Legislative Council (“PLC) for a vote
of confidence currently scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, 2003 at noon.
1. Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) (Fatah) – Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
2. Yasser Abed Rabbo (Independent) – Minister of Cabinet Affairs
3. Nabeel Shaath (Fatah) – Minister of External Affairs
4. Salam Fayyad (Independent) – Minister of Finance
5. Nabil Kassis (Independent) – Minister of Planning
6. Rafiq Al-Natsheh (Fatah) – Minister of Agriculture
7. Hamdan Ashour – Minister of Housing and Public Works (Fatah)
8. Abdul Karim Abu Salah (Independent) – Minister of Justice
9. Ghassan Khatib (Palestinian People’s Party) - Minister of Labor
10. Naim Abu Hommos (Fatah) – Minister of Education and Higher Education
11. Jamal Shobaki (Fatah) – Minister of Local Government
12. Mohammed Dahlan (Fatah) – Minister of State for Security Affairs
13. Ziad Abu Amr (Independent) – Minister of Culture
14. Nabil Amr (Fatah) – Minister of Information
15. Azzam Shawwa (Fatah) – Minister of Energy
16. Kamal Al-Shirafi (Independent) – Minister of Health
17. Saeb Erekat (Fatah) – Minister of Negotiation Affairs
18. Mitri Abu Aita (Fatah) - Minister of Tourism
19. Maher Masri (Fatah) – Minister of Economy and Trade
20. Hisham Abdalraziq (Fatah) – Minister of Prisoner Affairs
21. Intisar Al-Wazir (Um Jihad) (Fatah) – Minister of Social Affairs
22. Sa’edi Al-Krounz (Fatah) – Minister of Transportation
23. Abdul Fattah Hamayel (Fatah) – Minister of State (Without Portfolio)
24. Hakam Balawi (Fatah) – Cabinet Secretary
25. To Be Appointed - Minister of Religious Affairs
1. MAHMOUD ABBAS (ABU MAZEN) (FATAH) – PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR
Born in Safad, Palestine in 1935, Mahmoud Abbas, and his family fled Palestine in
1948, becoming refugees in Syria. He lived in exile until 1994, when he came to
the Occupied Palestinian Territories as part of the Palestinian negotiation team. He
has three children and seven grandchildren with an eighth on the way.
Mahmoud Abbas is also known as Abu Mazen (Father of Mazen), in accordance
with Arab tradition in which parents are referred to as Abu (“Father of”) or Um
(“Mother of”) the first-born son.
Political Career
Mahmoud Abbas is a founding member of Fatah,[1] the largest political party in the
Palestine Liberation Organization (“PLO”) and in the PLC. Mr. Abbas has been a
member of the Fatah Central Committee since 1964 and a member of the
Palestinian National Council (“PNC” – the Palestinian government in exile) since
1968. Since 1980, Mr. Abbas has been a member of the PLO Executive
Committee. He has held the post of PLO Secretary-General since 1996. Mr. Abbas
is the head of the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, a post that he has held
since 1994.
Previously, he served as the head of the Palestinian Election Committee (1996 to
2002) and the PLO National and International Relations Department (1984 to 2000).
In 1974, he was responsible for opening channels of communications with Israeli
peace groups and was the primary force behind the PNC’s decision to work with
these groups.
Mr. Abbas is the signatory of the 1993 Declaration of Principles that launched the
Oslo Peace Process. In 1995, he signed the Oslo Agreements, also known as the
Interim Agreements.
Education
Mr. Abbas holds a Ph.D. in History (Oriental College, Moscow) and a B.A. in Law
(Damascus University). He is the author of several books in Arabic including, The
Other Side, The Fall of the Netanyahu Government and The Road to Oslo. He
enjoys Arabic poetry, classical Arabic music and the study of history.
2. YASSER ABED RABBO (INDEPENDENT) – MINISTER OF CABINET
AFFAIRS
Born in Jaffa, Palestine in 1945, Yasser Abed Rabbo is a refugee. He is married
with two children.
Political Career
Mr. Abed Rabbo previously served as the Minister of Culture and Information, a
post he held since 1994. Since 1998, he has headed the PLC Committee for
Education, Culture and Science.
Mr. Abed Rabbo has served on the PLO Executive Committee since 1971 and has
served as the head of the PLO Department of Information and Culture since 1973.
In 1968, Mr. Abed Rabbo was a founding member of the Democratic Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), a leftist group within the PLO. After 23 years in the
DFLP, Mr. Abed Rabbo broke away from the group in 1991 to head the Palestinian
Democratic Group, FIDA, a group that came to closer agreement with the peace
policies of PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Mr. Abed Rabbo was a member of the Madrid Peace Delegation in 1991. He later
served as a senior member of the Palestinian negotiation team, attending all major
negotiations, including those conducted at Camp David (2000) and Taba (2001).
Education
Mr. Abed Rabbo holds an M.A. in Economics and Political Science (American
University in Cairo).
He enjoys reading Arabic poetry and literature.
3. NABEEL SHAATH (FATAH) – MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Born in Safad, Palestine in 1938, Dr. Shaath lived in exile and returned to the Gaza
Strip in June 1994. He is married with four children.
Political Career
Dr. Shaath previously served as the Minister of Planning and International
Cooperation, a position he held since 1994. He was elected to the PLC in 1996
representing Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip.
A long-time figure in Palestinian politics, Dr. Shaath has been a member of the
Fatah Central Committee since 1971 and served as the Director of the PLO
Planning Center in Beirut. In 1974, he headed the PLO’s first delegation to the
United Nations. In 1991, Dr. Shaath was a member of the Madrid Peace Delegation
and later was involved in negotiations with Israel that led to the signing of the Oslo
Agreements. From 1993 to 1995, he served as the head of the Palestinian
negotiation team, and participated in later negotiations with Israel, including those
conducted at Camp David (2000) and Taba (2001). He has also represented
Occupied Palestine at the World Economic Forum.
Career
As a public planning and transportation consultant, Dr. Shaath worked extensively
throughout the Arab world, establishing both the Engineering and Management
Institute and the Center for Administrative Development, which offers management
training in 14 offices throughout the Arab world.
Dr. Shaath taught economics at the University of Cairo, the University of Alexandria
(Egypt) and the University of Pennsylvania from 1961 to 1970. From 1969 to 1975,
he was the Dean of the School of Business Administration at the American
University in Beirut.
His interest in education prompted him to found the Dar al-Fata al-Arabi, the only
institution in the Arab world dedicated to publishing books for children and young
readers.
Education
Dr. Shaath holds a Ph.D. in Law (University of Pennsylvania), a Ph.D. in Economics
and Administrative Science (Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania), an MBA
in Finance and Banking (University of Pennsylvania) and a B.A. in Business
Administration (University of Alexandria, Egypt).
Dr. Shaath is an avid piano player and enjoys reading poetry.
4. SALAM FAYYAD (INDEPENDENT) – MINISTER OF FINANCE
Born in Dayr al-Ghussun, Palestine in 1952, Dr. Fayyad is married with three
children.
Political Career
Since October 2002, Dr. Fayyad has served as the Minister of Finance. His
commitment to transparency and proper accounting practices led to extensive
audits of PA accounts. In 2003, he submitted the first publicly disclosed PA budget
that was approved by the PLC (http://www.mof.gov.ps). He is also the Chairman of
the Palestine Investment Fund, the Board of Insurance and the Salaries Fund.
Career
In 1987, Dr. Fayyad began his career as an economist working at the World Bank in
Washington, D.C. From 1995 to 2001, Dr. Fayyad was the IMF’s representative in
Jerusalem, where he worked on financial reform for the PA Ministry of Finance.
Prompted by a sense of civic responsibility to reform the financial system of the PA,
Dr. Fayyad resigned from his post as the Head of the Arab Bank in the Occupied
West Bank in order to serve as the Minister of Finance in 2002.
Education
Dr. Fayyad holds a Ph.D. in Economics (University of Texas), an MBA in
Accounting (University of Texas) and a B.Sc. in Engineering (American University
of Beirut).
Dr. Fayyad has authored a number of research papers on the Palestinian economy.
He is known for his no-nonsense attitude regarding transparency and fiscal
responsibility.
5. NABIL KASSIS (INDEPENDENT) – MINISTER OF PLANNING
Born in Jerusalem, Palestine in 1945, Dr. Kassis is married with two children.
Political Career
Dr. Kassis previously served as the Minister of Tourism in 2002 and in 1998 was
appointed Minister of State (without portfolio) in charge of the Bethlehem 2000
Project.
Dr. Kassis was a member of the Madrid Peace Delegation. He later headed the
Technical and Advisory Committee to the Palestinian negotiation team, offering
technical support to the Palestinian negotiators. Since 1998, Dr. Kassis has
participated in negotiations with Israel.
Career
A trained nuclear physicist, Dr. Kassis taught physics in Germany, Italy, France,
England, Lebanon and Jordan before joining Birzeit University in 1980. In 1984, Dr.
Kassis was appointed the Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Birzeit University;
a position he held until 1989. In 1996, he co-founded the Palestine Economic
Research and Policy Institute.
Education
Dr. Kassis holds a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics (American University in Beirut) and a
B.Sc. in Nuclear Physics (University of Mainz, Germany). He is fluent in English,
Arabic, German and Armenian. His hobbies include hiking, reading, and studies in
philosophy.
6. RAFIQ AL-NATSHEH (FATAH) – MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE
Born in Hebron, Palestine in 1934, Dr. al-Natsheh is married with four children.
Political Career
A member of the Fatah Central Committee since 1980, Dr. al-Natsheh served as
the Fatah representative to Saudi Arabia. In 1996, he was elected to the PLC
representing the Hebron district. In 1998, he was appointed the Minster of Labor
and in 2002 was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture.
Career
From 1956 to 1970, Dr. al-Natsheh worked in Qatar as the Director of the office of
the Qatari Minister of Education.
Education
Dr. al-Natsheh holds a Ph.D. in Political Science (Moscow University) and an M.A.
in Political Science (Cairo University).
Dr. al-Natsheh has authored several books on Palestinian history including Israel: A
Settlement Project, Islamic Jerusalem, Sultan Abdel-Hamid the Second and
Palestine, and Islam and Palestine.
7. HAMDAN ASHOUR – MINISTER OF HOUSING AND PUBLIC WORKS
(FATAH)
Born in Gaza City, Palestine in 1940, Mr. Ashour is married with two children.
Political Career
A long-time Fatah activist, Mr. Ashour has been a member of the Fatah party since
its creation in 1959. In exile, Mr. Ashour was responsible for organizing Palestinian
members of Fatah in Europe from 1960 to 1967. After the start of Israel’s
occupation of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip in
1967, he was responsible for organizing the Fatah members in Lebanon.
Since 1968, he has been a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council where he
currently serves as the Secretary-General.
8. ABDUL KARIM ABU SALAH (INDEPENDENT) – MINISTER OF JUSTICE
Born in Khan Yunis, Palestine in 1955, Mr. Abu Salah is married with four children.
Political Career
Mr. Abu Salah takes up the post as Minister of Justice following his work as the
Chairman of the Legal Committee and a member of the PLC Budget and Financial
Affairs Committees. He is committed to improving the social conditions of
Palestinians through the enactment of laws that aim to protect the weakest
elements of Palestinian society.
Career
A lawyer by trade, Mr. Abu Salah has been active in the Palestinian Bar Association
and the Palestinian Teachers’ Association.
Education
Mr. Abu Salah holds a B.A. in Law (Cairo University) and an M.A. in International
Relations (Cairo University).
9. GHASSAN KHATIB (PALESTINIAN PEOPLE’S PARTY) - MINISTER OF LABOR
Born in Nablus, Palestine in 1954, Mr. Khatib is married with three children.
Political Career
He was a member of the Madrid Peace Delegation in 1991 and was involved in the
Washington negotiations from 1991 to 1993. He was appointed Minister of Labor in
2002.
Career
Mr. Khatib is the Director of the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center, a
non-governmental organization that conducts public opinion polls and provides
media support to journalists in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
A long-time advocate of Palestinian-Israeli dialogue, Mr. Khatib is the Co-founder
and Director of BitterLemons.org, a Palestinian-Israeli Internet-based political
magazine. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Israel-Palestine
Journal, a political journal offering Palestinian and Israeli perspectives.
Mr. Khatib is the President of the Board of Directors of the Arab Development
Center, an agricultural development organization; a member of the Advisory Board
of Palestinian Politics; a member of the Board of Trustees of the Democracy and
Worker’s Rights Center and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Friends
Schools in Palestine.
He was a lecturer at Birzeit University’s Cultural Studies Program.
Education
Mr. Khatib holds an M.A. in Development Studies (Manchester University) and a
B.A. in Economics and Business Administration (Birzeit University). He is pursuing
a doctorate in Middle East Politics (University of Durham).
10. NAIM ABU HOMMOS (FATAH) – MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION
Born in Birzeit, Palestine in 1955, Dr. Abu Hommos is a refugee from Lydda,
Palestine (now Lod, Israel). Dr. Abu Hommos is married with five children.
Political Career
A long-time Palestinian activist, Dr. Abu Hommos joined the Fatah party at the age
of 14, and later became a member of the Palestinian National Council. He has
served as the Minister of Education since 2002. In 1994, he was appointed Deputy
Minister of Education. Since 1989, Dr. Abu Hommos has served as the Secretary-
General of the Palestinian Council for Higher Education.
Career
From 1982 to 1989, Dr. Abu Hommos served as the head of the Education and
Psychology Departments at An-Najah University in Nablus. He later headed the
General Exam Committee and the Textbook Development Committee. Dr. Abu
Hommos is the author of eight books in the fields of education and politics.
Education
Dr. Abu Hommos holds a Ph.D. in Education (San Francisco State University), an
M.A. in Special Education (San Francisco State University) and a B.A. in Education
(University of Jordan).
He enjoys reading, archaeology and hiking.
11. JAMAL SHOBAKI (FATAH) – MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Mr. Shobaki was born in 1952 in Ithna, Palestine. He is a refugee from Bayt Jibrin,
Palestine (now Beit Guvrin, Israel). He is married with three children.
Political Career
Mr. Shobaki’s political career began as an activist. A member of Fatah, he was
imprisoned by Israel for ten years for his activism during the first Palestinian
uprising against occupation. He is a member of the PLO Central Council, and a
member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council.
In 1996, he was elected to the PLC representing the Hebron District. He is head of
the PLC Economic Committee, a member of the PLC Political Committee and a
member of the PLC Political Prisoners Committee.
Education
Mr. Shobaki holds a B.A. in Geography (Beirut Arab Univeristy).
12. MOHAMMED DAHLAN (FATAH) – MINISTER OF STATE FOR SECURITY
AFFAIRS
Born in 1961 in Khan Yunis Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip, Mr. Dahlan is a
refugee from Hammama, Palestine (now Nitzanim, Israel). He is married with three
children.
Political Career
Mr. Dahlan is a long-time member of the Fatah party, founding the Fatah Youth
Association in 1981. He was imprisoned by Israel for five years for political
activism. In 1988, he was expelled to Jordan by Israel. From exile, Mr. Dahlan
helped organize the first intifada (the non-violent Palestinian uprising against Israeli
occupation) that lasted from 1987 to 1994.
In 1994, Mr. Dahlan returned to the Occupied Palestinian Territories where he
headed the Preventive Security Forces in the Gaza Strip, a post from which he
resigned in 2002. A senior Palestinian negotiator, Mr. Dahlan participated in the
Wye River negotiations (1999) and was a member of the Palestinian negotiation
team at Camp David (2000) and Taba (2001).
Education
Mr. Dahlan earned a B.A. in Business Administration (Islamic University of Gaza).
He is fluent in Hebrew.
13. ZIAD ABU AMR (INDEPENDENT) – MINISTER OF CULTURE
Born in 1950 in Gaza City, Palestine, Dr. Abu Amr is married with four children.
Political Career
In 1996, Dr. Abu Amr was elected to the PLC as an independent representative of
Gaza City. An advocate of reform and democratization in the PA, he currently is
the Chairman of the PLC Political Committee.
Career
Dr. Abu Amr is a professor at Birzeit University, where he has been teaching
political science since 1985. He is the author of several research papers including
Islamic Fundamentalism in the West Bank and Gaza, Civil Society and
Democratization in Palestine, The Significance of Jerusalem: A Muslim’s
Perspective and Emerging Trends in Palestinian Strategic Thinking and Practice.
He is the President of the Palestinian Council of Foreign Relations; a member of the
Higher Education Council; Deputy Secretary-General of MIFTAH, a Palestinian civil
rights organization, and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Arab
Political Science Organization.
Education
Dr. Abu Amr holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Politics (Georgetown University).
14. NABIL AMR (FATAH) – MINISTER OF INFORMATION
Born in Doura, Palestine in 1947, Mr. Amr is married with five children and four
grandchildren.
Political Career
For almost four decades, Mr. Amr has been involved in Palestinian politics, serving
as a media advisor to PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. The former Minister for
Parliamentary Affairs resigned from his post in 2002. He was elected to the PLC in
1996, representing Doura, Hebron. Previously, he served as the PLO’s
Ambassador to Russia.
He is a member of the Palestinian negotiation team.
Career
Mr. Amr is the founder and General Manager of al-Hayat al-Jadida, a leading
Palestinian newspaper. He is the Director of the PA’s Radio and Television
Authority and is a member of the Palestinian Writer’s Union. For ten years, he
served as the Director of Voice of Palestine a Palestinian radio station.
Mr. Amr has authored three books: Testimonies from the Battlefield, chronicling the
war in Beirut, 1000 Days in Moscow, chronicling the fall of the former Soviet Union
and The Days of Siege and Love.
Education
Mr. Amr holds a degree in Law (Damascus University) and a diploma in Media and
Radio Broadcasting (Damascus University).
His interests include reading, power walking and swimming.
15. AZZAM SHAWWA (FATAH) – MINISTER OF ENERGY
Born in Kuwait in 1963, Mr. Shawwa is married with three children.
Career
Mr. Shawwa is the Gaza Branch Coordinator of the Arab Bank. Previously, he
worked at the Bank of Palestine in the Gaza Strip, where he was the youngest
person to ever serve as the Head of the Bank. He is the Treasurer of the Palestine
Investment Fund; the Secretary-General of the Palestine Banking Association; a
member of the Palestine Food Industries Company and a member of the Palestine
National House of Books.
He is extensively involved in community work, serving as the President of the Gaza
Sporting Club; President of Atfaluna – Society for Deaf Children in Gaza and a
member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish-Palestinian Training Institute.
Education
Mr. Shawwa holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics (University of Memphis).
Mr. Shawwa enjoys swimming and horseback riding and is an avid reader.
16. KAMAL AL-SHIRAFI (INDEPENDENT) – MINISTER OF HEALTH
Born in 1955 in the Jabalya Refugee Camp, Gaza Strip, Dr. al-Shirafi is a refugee
from Hiribya, Palestine (now Ziqim and Karmiyya, Israel). He is married with four
children.
Political Career
A former physician, Dr. al-Shirafi was elected to the PLC in 1996, representing
North Gaza. He is a member of the Political Committee and the Monitoring Human
Rights and Public Freedoms Committee of the PLC. Dr. al-Shirafi has been
imprisoned by Israel on numerous occasions for political activism.
Career
Dr. al-Shirafi worked as a surgeon for ten years. He is a member of numerous
charitable organizations, including the Al-Mizan Center, and is a member of the
Board of Trustees of Al-Aqsa University.
Education
Dr. al-Shirafi holds a diploma in Teaching (Ramallah Teachers’ College). Dr. al-
Shirafi holds a medical degree and is a certified surgeon (University of Bulgaria).
17. SAEB EREKAT (FATAH) – MINISTER OF NEGOTIATION AFFAIRS
Born in 1955 in East Jerusalem, Palestine, Dr. Erekat is married with four children.
Political Career
Previously Dr. Erekat served as the Minister of Local Government, a position he
held since 1994. He was elected to the PLC in 1996, representing Jericho. In 1991,
Dr. Erekat was the Vice-Chair of the Madrid Peace Delegation and was later
involved in the Washington negotiations. In 1994, Dr. Erekat was appointed the
Chairman of the Palestinian negotiation delegation and has since been a senior
member of the Palestinian negotiation team. He has been extensively involved in
all negotiations with Israel, including those conducted at Camp David (2000) and in
Taba (2001).
Career
A former journalist, Dr. Erekat served on the editorial board of Al-Quds newspaper,
the Palestinian daily with the highest circulation. He was a lecturer in political
science at An-Najah University in Nablus. He also served as the Secretary-General
of the Arab Studies Society.
Education
Dr. Erekat holds a Ph.D. in Peace Studies (Bradford University), and a B.A. and
M.A. in Political Science (University of San Francisco).
Dr. Erekat is the author of eight books and numerous research papers on foreign
policy, oil, and conflict resolution.
18. MITRI ABU AITA (FATAH) - MINISTER OF TOURISM
Born in 1941 in Bethlehem, Mr. Abu Aita is married.
Political Career
Elected in 1996 to the PLC, Mr. Abu Aita served as the Deputy Speaker of the PLC
from 1996 to 1998. In 1998, he served as the Minister of Tourism and was later
appointed as the Minister of Transportation in June 2002.
Career
An active lawyer, Mr. Abu Aita served as the Chairman of the Jordan Bar
Association from 1994 to 1998 and was involved in the hotel and tourist industry for
more than 20 years.
Education
Mr. Abu Aita holds a B.A. in Law (Damascus University).
19. MAHER MASRI (FATAH) – MINISTER OF ECONOMY AND TRADE
Born in 1946 in Nablus, Palestine, Mr. Masri is married with two children.
Political Career
Mr. Masri was elected to the PLC in 1996 representing the city of Nablus. Since
1996, he has served as the Minister of Economy and Trade. A proponent of a free
Palestinian market, Mr. Masri was responsible for negotiating the 1994 Paris
Economic Protocol with Israel, an agreement designed to build the Palestinian
economy on free market principles.
He was a member of the Palestinian delegation at the Camp David negotiations
(2000).
In his position as Minister of Economy and Trade, Mr. Masri serves as the Chairman
of the Board of the Palestinian Investment Promotion Agency; the Palestinian
Industrial Estates and Free Zones Area and the Palestinian Banking Corporation.
He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Palestinian Investment Fund.
Career
From 1987 until 1996, Mr. Masri was the General Manager of the Vegetable Oil
Company in Nablus. He served on the Board of Directors of several private sector
enterprises and was the Chairman of the Board of the Palestinian Development
Fund, a non-governmental organization that provides loans for industrial and
agricultural projects in Palestine. He was an economist in Beirut and later worked in
the private sector in Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Education
Mr. Masri holds an M.A. and a B.A. in Economics (American University of Beirut).
20. HISHAM ABDALRAZIQ (FATAH) – MINISTER OF PRISONER AFFAIRS
Born in 1953 in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, Mr. Abdalraziq is a refugee from Zarnuqa,
Palestine (now Zarnoqa and Rechovot, Israel). He is married with five children.
Political Career
A member of the Fatah party, Mr. Abdalraziq was elected to the PLC in 1996
representing the Jabalya District. He was imprisoned by Israel for 21 years for
political activism and was released in 1994. Upon his release, he became a
member of the Higher Committee of Fatah in Gaza and was later appointed Minister
of Prisoner Affairs in 1998.
Education
Mr. Abdalraziq holds a B.A. in the Israeli Political System (Al-Quds University).
While in prison, Mr. Abdalraziq wrote two poetry collections and a novel.
21. INTISAR AL-WAZIR (UM JIHAD) (FATAH) – MINISTER OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS
Born in 1941 in Gaza City, Ms al-Wazir is a widow with five children.
Political Career
A long-time figure in Palestinian politics, Um Jihad joined the Fatah party in 1959,
becoming the party’s first female member. She participated in the first conference
for Palestinian women in 1965 and was instrumental in founding the General Union
for Palestinian Women, an organization that focuses on the social, economic and
legal status of Palestinian women.
Her interest in social affairs prompted her to found numerous centers for women,
literacy training and rehabilitation including the Social Affairs Committee and the
Martyrs’ Families Organization and the Committee for Prisoners and the Injured.
Currently, Um Jihad is the director of a number of committees focusing on women,
the elderly and care for the disabled.
Um Jihad has been a member of the PNC since 1974 and a member of the Fatah
Central Committee since 1987. From 1980 to 1985, Um Jihad was the Secretary-
General of the General Union of Palestinian Women. In 1983, she served as the
Deputy Secretary-General of the Fatah Revolutionary Council.
Um Jihad lived in exile for thirty years with her husband, Khalil al-Wazir (Abu
Jihad), the co-founder of the Fatah party, and leader of the first Palestinian uprising.
In 1988, he was assassinated by Israel in his home in Tunisia.
Um Jihad returned to the Gaza Strip in 1995 and was elected to the PLC in 1996.
Since 1995, she has served as the Minister of Social Affairs.
Education
Um Jihad holds a B.A. in History (Damascus University).
22. SA’EDI AL-KROUNZ (FATAH) – MINISTER OF TRANSPORTATION
Born in Al-Bureij Refugee Camp (Gaza Strip) in 1958, Dr. al-Krounz is a refugee
from al-Faluja, Palestine (now Kiryat Gat, Israel). He currently resides in Nusayrat
Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. He is married with three children.
Political Career
Dr. al-Krounz served as the first Minister of Industry in 1994.
Career
Until 1996, Dr. al-Krounz was the Head of the Math and Statistics Department at the
Islamic University in Gaza. He previously served as the Dean of the School of
Social Science, the Dean of Student Affairs and the Head of the Math and Statistics
Department at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. Dr. al-Krounz has written extensively on
the subject of statistics.
Education
Dr. al-Krounz holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics and Statistics (Purdue University), an
M.Sc. in Mathematics (University of Saskatchewan, Canada) and a B.Sc. in
Mathematics (Mansura University, Egypt).
Dr. al-Krounz is supporter of economic, health and educational development. He
supports open immigration policies for Palestinians in the Diaspora, advocating that
Palestinians in the Diaspora be entitled to obtain Palestinian passports.
23. ABDUL FATTAH HAMAYEL (FATAH) – MINISTER OF STATE (WITHOUT PORTFOLIO)
Born in Kufr Malik, Palestine in 1950, Mr. Hamayel is married with five children.
Political Career
For 17 years, Mr. Hamayel was imprisoned by Israel for being a member of the
Fatah party. (The Fatah party, like all Palestinian political parties, was considered
“illegal” by Israel. Political activists were frequently imprisoned.) He was given
seven life sentences for attempting to organize Palestinians and was released in
1985 as a part of a prisoner exchange. He was re-imprisoned by Israel in 1990 and
was exiled to Jordan in 1992.
Mr. Hamayel returned to Palestine in 1994 where he served as the Secretary-
General of the Fatah party in the Ramallah district. In 1996, he was elected to the
PLC and served as a member of the Interior Committee and the Budget and
Financial Affairs Committee.
Education
Mr. Hamayel attended Military College in Baghdad.
Mr. Hamayel has published Lullabies Behind Bars, a collection of Arabic poetry
written while in prison. He is an avid gardener and enjoys farming.
24. HAKAM BALAWI (FATAH) – CABINET SECRETARY
Born in Al-Bala, Palestine in 1939, Mr. Balawi is married with four children and
seven grandchildren.
Political Career
Elected in 1996 to the PLC representing Tulkarem, Mr. Balawi was Palestine’s
Ambassador to Libya from 1973 to 1975 and the Ambassador to Tunisia from 1983
to 1994.
A Fatah activist, Mr. Balawi is a member of the Fatah Central Committee, the Fatah
Central Council and the Fatah Revolutionary Council. He was the Deputy Head of
the Central Information Committee of Fatah from 1968 to 1978.
From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Balawi served as the Commissioner-General of the
National Security Agencies and Secretary of National Security Council. He is the
Minister of the Interior representing Occupied Palestine in Council of Arab Interior
Ministers.
He is a member of the PNC.
The Secretary of the Union of Palestinian Journalists and Writers, Mr. Balawi is the
author of several plays and novels.
Education
He holds Diplomas in Administration, Journalism and Education.
25. TO BE APPOINTED - MINISTER OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS
---------------------------------
[1] Fatah is the largest political party in the PLO. It also has the
largest support of the Palestinian population in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories. The party seeks: (1) the end of Israel’s military occupation
of all territory occupied by Israel since 1967 in accordance with
international law; (2) the establishment of a secular, democratic,
independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital and (3) a
just resolution to the 55-year refugee crisis in accordance with
international law.
-------------------
Palestinian American Congress
Palestinian American Congress- Houston Chapter
Voice mail 713-903-3333 Fax 713-266-1006