also called Abu Mazen
born 1935, Zefat, Palestine [now in Israel]
Palestinian leader.
Abbas earned a law degree from the University of Damascus and a doctorate in history from Moscow State University. In the late 1950s he was one of the founders of Fatah , which spearheaded the Palestinian armed struggle and dominated the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinians. He briefly served as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority in 2003 and was elected its president in 2005.