Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Sharif Ali Hussein Mashal, known as "Abbas Zaki," was born in the town of Sa'ir in the Hebron Governorate on November 12, 1942. He is married with five sons and a daughter. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Law from Damascus University. He worked as a teacher in several schools, including Khalil Sakakini School in Jerusalem, the Modern School, and the Shuna al-Shamalia School in Irbid between 1963 and 1967.
He joined the Fatah movement in 1962, became a member of its Revolutionary Council in 1970, a political commissioner for the Yarmouk Forces, and a political commissioner for the central apparatus of Fatah between 1971 and 1974. He was appointed representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization in South Yemen in 1974, and was awarded the title of Dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps in Aden in 1977, and Dean of the Arab and Foreign Diplomatic Corps between 1980 and 1986. He became a member of the Palestinian National Council in 1986, Secretary of the Supreme Committee of the Intifada, a member of the Western Sector Command, and Director General of the Department of National and International Relations in the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1989.
He was elected as a member of the Fatah Central Committee in 1989, and was responsible for the movement in Jordan in 1993, and Deputy Commissioner-General for Mobilization and Organization. He was elected as a member of the Legislative Council in 1996, and headed the Education and Social Affairs Committee and the Reform Committee in the Legislative Council. He was appointed as Commissioner for Foreign Relations in Fatah in 2003, and Head of the PLO Representation in Lebanon between 2005 and 2009, and responsible for the Fatah Commission for Arab and People's Chinese Relations. He was re-elected as a member of the Fatah Central Committee in 2009 and 2016. He participated in a number of Arab and international conferences as a representative of the PLO, and as a special envoy of the President of the Palestinian Authority to a number of heads of state.
He believes that the Israeli occupation has destroyed the two-state solution and is working towards a state devoid of Palestinians. Zaki rules out any political solution with the right-wing Israeli government and considers the Fatah movement's present situation difficult due to the occupation's denial of the agreements signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). However, he asserts that the movement is determined to move forward to achieve its goal.
He considers popular and political resistance and diplomatic action to be the most effective tools at the present time, but he emphasizes the importance of maintaining all options to resist the occupation, including the military option, but according to the circumstances and in accordance with international law. He believes in national unity as a path to achieving the Palestinian dream and calls for overcoming division and agreeing on a unified political program. He also demands the activation of the PLO by holding elections for the National Council with the participation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as partners in the homeland, decision-making, and destiny.
He believes that the future of the Palestinian Authority depends on the extent of Israel's commitment to the agreements. He emphasizes adherence to the Palestinian principles, namely the establishment of an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the return and compensation of refugees. He believes that the Arab and regional environment is witnessing a horrific decline due to the creative chaos created by the United States.
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