RAMALLAH, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The following is a profile of members of the Palestinian delegation to Washington to engage in direct peace talks with Israel in Sept., 2010.
1. MAHMOUD ABBAS (ABU MAZEN), PRESIDENT
Born in Safad, Palestine, in 1935, Mahmoud Abbas and his family fled Palestine in 1948 to become refugees in Syria. He lived in exile until 1994, when he came to the occupied Palestinian territories as part of the Palestinian negotiating team. He has three children and eight grandchildren.
Political career: Abbas is one of the founding members of Fatah, the largest political party in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). 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, Abbas has been a member of the PLO Executive Committee. He also served as head of the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department between 1994 and 2003. In 2005, he was elected president of the Palestinian National Authority. He is also chairman of the PLO after late leader Yasser Arafat.
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.
Abbas was 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 Agreement.
Education: Abbas holds a Ph.D. in History from Oriental College in Moscow and a B.A. in law from Damascus University. He authored several books in Arabic, including The Other Side, The Fall of the Netanyahu Government and The Road to Oslo. He enjoys Arabic poetry, Arabic classical music and the study of history.
2. SAEB M. ERAKAT, CHIEF NEGOTIATOR
Saeb Erakat was born on April 28, 1955, in Jerusalem. He currently resides in Jericho.
Political career: Erakat began his political career in 1991, as vice chairman of the Palestinian Negotiating Delegation. He then served as head of the Palestinian Election Commission (1993-1996). In that time, he also served as Chairman of the Palestinian Negotiating Delegation for Elections.
He was appointed as minister of local government in 1994, a position he held until 2003. Since 1996, Erakat has been an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Also in 1996, Erakat was selected to lead the Palestinian side of the Steering and Monitoring Committee. In 2003, President Abbas named Erakat as chief Palestinian negotiator and head of the PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department.
Career: Erakat was a professor of Political Sciences at Al Najah University in Nablus between 1979 and 1991, when he took a leave of absence. He was also a member of the editorial staff at Al Quds newspaper between 1980 and 1992 and was the secretary general of the Arab Studies Society between 1989 and 1994.
Education: Erakat holds a Ph.D. in Peace Studies from Bradford University in Britain, an M.A. in International Relations and a B. A.in Political Sciences, both from the University of San Francisco. He has authored nine books and has conducted extensive research on foreign policy, oil, conflict settlement and negotiations.
3. YASSER ABED RABBO
Born in Jaffa, Palestine, in 1945, Yasser Abed Raboo is married with two children.
Political career: Abed Rabbo previously served as the minister of culture and information. Since 1998, he has been head of the PA Committee for Education, Culture and Science.
Abed Rabbo has served in the PLO Executive Committee since 1971 and has served as head of the PLO Department of Information and Culture since 1974. In 1968, 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, Abed Rabbo broke away from the group in 1991 to head the Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA), a group that came to closer agreement with the peace policies of then PLO chairman Yasser Arafat.
Abed Rabbo is a senior member of the Palestinian negotiation team, attending all major negotiations, including those conducted at Camp David (2000) and Taba (2001). In 1988, he led the first Palestinian delegation in negotiations with the U.S. administration.
Education: Abed Rabbo holds a M.A. in Economics and Political Science from the American University in Cairo. He enjoys reading literature.
4. NABIL SHAATH
Born in Safad, Palestine, in 1938, Nabil Shaath lived in exile and returned to the Gaza Strip in June 1994. He is married with four children.
Political career: Shaath previously served as the minister of planning and international cooperation. He was elected to the PLC in 1996, representing Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip.
A long-time figure in Palestinian politics, Shaath served as director of the PLO Planning Center in Beirut. In 1974, he headed the PLO's first delegation to the United Nations. Since 1989, he has been a member of the Fatah Central Committee. Today, he is in charge of international relations for Fatah.
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 Accords. From 1993 to 1995, he served as 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 Palestine at the World Economic Forum.
Career: As a public planning and administration consultant, 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.
Shaath teaches economics and business at the American University of Cairo and the American University of Beirut. From 1970 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: Shaath holds a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Pennsylvania, a Ph.D. in Economics and Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an MBA in Finance and Banking from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Alexandria in Egypt. Shaath is an avid piano player and enjoys reading poetry.
5. AKRAM HANIYEH
Makram Haniyeh was born in Ramallah in 1953.
Political career: Haniyeh began his political career as an organizer for PLO activities in the West Bank during 1970s and early 1980s, for which he was placed under house arrest by the Israeli authorities from Aug. 1980 until mid-1981. In 1986, Haniyeh was deported by Israel to Algeria for activities connected to Fatah. Once in Tunis, he became an aide to Khalil Al-Wazir, working as the PLO press representative in Tunis, and was considered a link between the Tunisia-based leaders and the home- based leaders in the occupied Palestinian territories. During the Madrid peace talks, Haniyeh liaised between then PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and the media.
Haniyeh returned to Palestine in 1994 and became a political advisor to Arafat as well as a member of final-status talks team. Haniyeh participated in the July 2000 Camp David talks and eventually wrote a book about his experience, entitled The Camp David Papers, (Ramallah, 2000).
Career: Haniyeh began his career in journalism working for the Ash-Sha'ab newspaper in Jerusalem from 1976-79, eventually becoming its editor until 1981. Haniyeh worked for the public relations department at Birzeit University from 1981 until 1984 and served as chairman of the Arab Journalists Union in the occupied Palestinian territories from 1983 until 1985. Upon returning from exile in Tunisia to Palestine in 1994, he established the Al-Ayyam newspaper in Ramallah and has since served as its editor.
Education: Haniyeh has a B.A. in English Literature from the Cairo University. He sits on the Board of Trustees of An-Najah University. Haniyeh writes political essays and short stories. Among his publications is Rites for Another Day, (Arabic, 1986).
6. MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH
Mohammad Shtayyeh was born in Nablus in 1958.
Political career: In 1993, Shtayyeh was a member of the Palestinian Delegation to Paris Economic Talks with Israel. In 1995, he was appointed as head of the Palestinian delegation to the multilateral talks on Regional Economic Development Working Group (REDWG).
In 1996, Shtayyeh supervised the Palestinian presidential and legislative elections as secretary general of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC). Shtayyeh was appointed as minister of housing and public works in the 9th Palestinian cabinet.
Career: Shtayyeh is a founding member of the Palestinian Development Fund, as well as the Palestinian Housing Council. Shtayyeh is also the founder and president of the Palestinian Center for Regional Studies (PCRS), a regional think tank. Shtayyeh also served as dean of Bir Zeit University.
Shtayyeh established the National Institute of Information Technology and the National Institute for Administration. Shtayyeh is currently the head of the board of trustees of the Arab- American University in Jenin, as well as the president of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction ( PECDAR). He also serves as a governor of the Islamic Development Bank, representing Palestine.
Education: Shtayyeh hold a Ph.D. in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies in the University of Sussex, Brighton, UK. He has authored several books and articles.
7. NABIL ABU RUDEINEH
Born in Bethlehem, Nabil Abu Rudeineh is married and has two sons.
Political career: Nabil Abu Rudeineh is known as one of the early members of Fatah as well as for his close relation with late president Yasser Arafat. He was appointed spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency by Arafat and has continued taking up the post under the presidency of Mahmoud Abbas.
During his career, he has been involved in the peace process as a close adviser to the Palestinian president.
Education: Along with other Palestinian leaders he attended Cairo University where he studied law.
