Birth: 29/9/1961 Death:NULL/NULL/NULL
Born in Khan Younis RC, Gaza, on 29 Sept. 1961 to a family originally from Hammama (now Nitzanim); founding member of the Shabiba (Fateh Youth) in Gaza in 1981; was imprisoned by Israel numerous times during 1981-86 for his involvement in the movement; holds a BA in Business Administration from the Islamic University of Gaza; after the outbreak of the first Intifada in Dec. 1987 became a leader of the uprising; was deported to Jordan in 1988 for leading the Shabiba in Gaza; moved to Egypt, then Iraq and finally joined the PLO in Tunis, helped coordinating the Intifada, returned to Gaza with Arafat in May 1994 and was appointed to be in charge of the Preventive Security Forces in Gaza, with the rank of a Colonel (until 2002); played a major role in the 1996 crackdown on Hamas in Gaza; was a member of the negotiating team on security and other issues, incl. the Wye River negotiations (1999), Camp David (2000) and Taba (2001); supported calls for PA reforms and the creation of a unified security apparatus; resigned from his post as security chief on 5 June 2002; was appointed by Pres. Yasser Arafat as national security adviser in July 2002; became part of the Palestinian team that negotiated the “Gaza-Bethlehem first” deal in Aug. 2002, under which Israeli forces were to withdraw from Bethlehem and parts of Gaza and the PA to prevent attacks on Israelis; resigned over the slow pace of internal reforms on 14 Oct. 2002; became Minister of State for Security Affairs in the cabinet of PM Mahmoud Abbas on 30 April 2003; promoted elections to Fateh institutions to revitalize the movement; was appointed Civil Affairs Minister in the Feb. 2005 cabinet of Ahmed Qrei’a (until after the Jan. 2006 PLC elections); member of the Fateh-Revolutionary Council; was elected as PLC member (Fateh, Khan Younis district) in the Jan. 2006 elections.
