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Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is seen during an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Saturday, November 11, 2023.
Image: Saudi Press Agency/Newscom/picture alliance

Mahmoud Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas is the president of the Palestianian Authority. He is also chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization and head of its main political faction, Fatah.

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Abbas at UN: 'This madness cannot continue'

Palestinian President Abbas has called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop the fighting in Gaza.
ConflictsSeptember 26, 202404:46 min
Members of Israeli forces patrol a street during a military operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams in the city of Tulkarem

Israel: Is a West Bank war imminent?

Israel's deadliest operation since October 7 has stoked fears of escalation in the West Bank. Is a second front looming?
ConflictsAugust 30, 2024
A mural in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp shows jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti

Could Marwan Barghouti be an asset for an Israel-Hamas deal?

Releasing the popular jailed politician Marwan Barghouti could disrupt or unite the Palestinian political landscape.
ConflictsFebruary 9, 2024
A composite image of an Israeli and Palestinian flag with a map of the Middle East: "Is this truly the least solvable conflict?" (headline)

Why is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so hard to resolve?

Amid a major escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, DW looks at possible solutions to the complex issue.
ConflictsNovember 6, 202314:07 min
A Palestinian and Israeli flag fly side-by-side

What is the two-state solution?

An independent Palestinian state coexisting peacefully with Israel — that's the idea. But there are huge obstacles.
ConflictsOctober 27, 202301:50 min
A landscape, in the distance, a missile launching into the sky

Palestinian Authority under pressure after Hamas attacks

Nearly three decades on from its establishment, the Palestinian Authority faces stiff opposition.
ConflictsOctober 17, 2023
Scholz at the podium in the Bundestag

Scholz urges Abbas to condemn Hamas terror attacks

Scholz pledged support for Israel and called Palestinian President Abbas' silence "shameful" in a parliament address.
ConflictsOctober 12, 202302:42 min
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fist bumps US President Joe Biden

Saudi-Israeli deal: What would it mean for the Middle East?

Despite ambitious rhetoric from all sides, few believe that Saudi Arabia and Israel will indeed fix their relationship.
PoliticsSeptember 26, 2023
Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian leader condemned for Holocaust remarks

Israel has accused Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas of Holocaust denial.
PoliticsSeptember 7, 2023
wrecked street in Jenin

Palestinians in Jenin rebuild lives after Israeli raids

As refugee camp residents repair the damage, it's feared the Israeli military raids could fuel more violence.
ConflictsJuly 13, 202302:52 min
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaking to a throng of people in the Jenin refugee camp

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vows to rebuild Jenin

Mahmoud Abbas visited the West Bank refugee camp a week after parts were destroyed in an Israeli military operation.
PoliticsJuly 12, 2023
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes a statement upon arrival in Tel Aviv

US top diplomat Blinken visits Israel, urges de-escalation

The US secretary of state condemned attacks by Palestinian gunmen, but also urged Israelis to show restraint.
ConflictsJanuary 30, 2023
Mahmoud Abbas and Olaf Scholz during the press conference in Berlin.

Scholz calls Israeli PM to slam Abbas' remark

The German chancellor told his Israeli counterpart the Palestinian president's remarks were "intolerable."
PoliticsAugust 18, 2022
Kommentarbild Autorenbild Sarah Judith Hofmann

Scholz should have shut Abbas down — he didn't

Sarah Judith Hofmann
Olaf Scholz's lack of reaction shows something is wrong with Germany's remembrance culture, says Sarah Judith Hofmann.
PoliticsAugust 17, 2022
Olaf Scholz and Mahmud Abbas in Berlin

Scholz reaction to Abbas' Holocaust remarks draws criticism

The International Auschwitz Committee and the Central Council of Jews have blasted Scholz over his initial response.
PoliticsAugust 17, 2022
Olaf Scholz and Mahmoud Abbas shake hands in Berlin

Scholz rejects use of 'apartheid' to describe Israel

The chancellor bristled as Palestine's Abbas used the words 'apartheid' and 'Holocaust' with regards to Israel.
PoliticsAugust 16, 2022
President of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian president meets Israeli defense minister

Mahmoud Abbas held talks with Israel's Benny Gantz at the latter's residence, according to a Palestinian official.
PoliticsDecember 29, 2021
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (R) meets with United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (L) at Prime Minister's office in West Jerusalem on December 22, 2021.

Biden aide Sullivan says Iran may exhaust diplomacy

US national security advisor Jake Sullivan is in Israel to discuss Iran and other issues.
ConflictsDecember 23, 2021
Palestinian woman casts her vote at a polling station during municipal elections in the village of Baitain

Palestinians vote in West Bank elections amid growing anger

Palestinians in villages in West Bank have voted in municipal polls amid a boycott by the main opposition Hamas.
PoliticsDecember 11, 2021
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a Security Council meeting on the situation in Palestine.

Israel's Gantz meets Palestine's Abbas for direct talks

US President Joe Biden recently urged Israel's new prime minister to try to mend fences.
ConflictsAugust 30, 2021
A screen displaying a live broadcast of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' speech.

Abbas delays Palestinian elections

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cited uncertainty if Israel would allow the election to proceed in Jerusalem.
PoliticsApril 30, 2021
Mahmoud Abbas sitting at a desk between two Palestinian flags

Abbas to receive medical treatment in Germany

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is headed to Germany for a "routine health check," according to officials.
HealthApril 5, 2021
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas at the UN

Palestinian leader Abbas slams Trump's plan

The Palestinian state envisioned by the Trump-backed plan look like a "Swiss cheese," Mahmoud Abbas said at the UN.
PoliticsFebruary 11, 2020
Peter Philipp Kommentarbild PROVISORISCH

Netanyahu's gamble on Trump plan backfires at home, abroad

Peter Philipp
His predecessor has warned of Israel becoming an 'apartheid state,' and voters have reacted with little enthusiasm.
PoliticsJanuary 30, 2020
Sollich Rainer Kommentarbild App

Trump's Middle East 'peace plan' delivers neither

Rainer Sollich
The US president's peace plan is largely aligned with Israeli interests, while the Palestinians' concerns are ignored.
ConflictsJanuary 29, 2020
Peter Philipp Kommentarbild APP PROVISORISCH

Bibi's time may — finally — be up

Peter Philipp
Israel is in political deadlock, but longtime PM Netanyahu's fate is sealed by those who are the future of his party.
PoliticsDecember 25, 2019
Angela Merkel and Mahmoud Abbas

Germany's Merkel insists on two-state solution

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have held talks in Berlin.
PoliticsAugust 29, 2019
Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah

Abbas says agreements with Israelis to stop

The move by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas comes after Israeli forces bulldozed dozens of Palestinian homes.
ConflictsJuly 26, 2019
Money donated by Palestinians

Palestinians closer to Arab cash infusion

Arab countries have reaffirmed a pledge to pay $100 million a month to the Palestinian Authority.
PoliticsJune 23, 2019
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtayeh during a swearing-in ceremony

Palestinian gov't forgets key phrase in ceremony

A lawyer said it could have jeopardized the government's legality.
PoliticsApril 14, 2019
Members of the Palestinian government pose for a group photo

Palestinian president swears in new government

The new government slashes hopes of reconciliation between the Palestinian Authority and Gaza's Hamas rulers.
PoliticsApril 14, 2019
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah

Palestinian PM submits resignation to Abbas

The move has been seen as a possible bid by President Mahmoud Abbas to isolate his political rivals Hamas.
PoliticsJanuary 29, 2019
Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly

Trump undermining two-state solution: Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas has said the Palestinians will not accept a "biased" US as the sole mediator in the peace process.
PoliticsSeptember 27, 2018
Palestinian woman and children washing edible greens prior to cooking outside their mobile family dwelling near the Israeli settlement of Susya

US cuts over $200M in Palestinian aid

The PLO has said Washington is "punishing the Palestinian victims" of the Israeli occupation.
PoliticsAugust 25, 2018
Jared Kushner at the US Embassy dedication ceremony in May

Kushner says US Middle East plan to come soon

President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner criticized Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for refusing to meet with him.
ConflictsJune 24, 2018
Protesters in the Gaza Strip

Israel and Turkey ramp up tension over Gaza

Israel and Turkey have continued tit-for-tat diplomat expulsions over violence in Gaza that has killed 60 Palestinians.
PoliticsMay 16, 2018
Mahmoud Abbas at the Palestinian National Council

Abbas apologizes for Holocaust comments

The Palestinian leader has condemned anti-Semitism and apologized for comments he made earlier in the week.
PoliticsMay 4, 2018
A picture of children being freed from Auschwitz Concentration Camp in 1945

Abbas comments on Holocaust spark outrage

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said the Holocaust was prompted by Jewish people's "social behavior."
HistoryMay 2, 2018
Prince William

Prince William to visit Israel

The second-in-line to the British throne is set to be the first royal to visit Israel since the country's 1948 founding.
PoliticsMarch 1, 2018
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas at the UN Security Council

Palestinian leader calls for Middle East peace conference

In a rare UN speech, Mahmoud Abbas called for an international mechamism to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict.
PoliticsFebruary 20, 2018
Indian PM Modi shakes hands with Palestinian President Abbas.

India's Modi meets Abbas in West Bank

The meeting comes as Abbas seeks to replace the US as the sole mediator between Israelis and Palestinians.
ConflictsFebruary 10, 2018
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a PLO meeting

PLO orders plans for 'disengaging' from Israel

The PLO's top leadership stopped short, however, of immediately suspending its recognition of Israel.
ConflictsFebruary 4, 2018
Gabriel and Netanyahu

Gabriel: Israel risks perpetual conflict

Gabriel warned Israel against abandoning a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
PoliticsJanuary 31, 2018
Schweiz Davos Weltwirtschaftsforum Trump und Netanyahu

Trump threatens to withhold further Palestinian aid

Trump has accused Palestinian leaders of disrespecting the US by refusing to meet with Mike Pence in Jerusalem.
PoliticsJanuary 25, 2018
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas

Abbas seeks EU support in response to US Jerusalem move

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas is hoping for a greater EU role in Middle East peace efforts amid a row with the US.
PoliticsJanuary 22, 2018
Mahmoud Abbas

Will the PLO follow through on its threat?

The Palestinian Liberation Organization and its head, Mahmoud Abbas, have threatened to no longer recognize Israel.
PoliticsJanuary 16, 2018
PLO summit in Ramallah with Mahmoud Abbas

Abbas: Trump's peace efforts 'slap of the century'

Abbas has called into the question the Oslo Accords, which stipulate Palestinians' formal recognition of Israel.
PoliticsJanuary 14, 2018
Temple Mount Jerusalem and Israeli flag

Trump's Jerusalem decision sparks global outcry

A meeting of the UN Security Council is called after President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
PoliticsDecember 7, 2017
Ägypten Kairo Vetrags-Unterzeichnung von Fatah und Hamas

Rival Palestinian parties to hold elections

Rival Palestinian political factions have agreed to hold elections by the end of 2018 after two days of talks in Cairo.
ConflictsNovember 22, 2017
Gazastreifen Graffiti in Gaza Stadt Aussöhnung Hamad und Fatah

Palestinian unity talks in Cairo

Both parties voiced optimism as closed-door talks began in the Egyptian capital.
PoliticsOctober 10, 2017