Mahmoud Abbas, widely known as Abu Mazen, is the President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). A co-founder of Fatah, he played a central role in the Oslo Peace Process, standing alongside Yasser Arafat at the White House in 1993 for the signing of the Oslo Accords.

President: Elected President of the PNA in 2005 for a four-year term, no presidential elections have been held since. The Fatah-Hamas split in 2007 led to Abbas’s Fatah movement controlling the West Bank, while Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip. Abbas is a political pragmatist and has advocated for an independent Palestinian state through negotiations with Israel, rejecting armed struggle. However, this approach has yielded little progress, leaving him unpopular with some of his constituents.

Succession: In March 2025, he announced long-delayed legislative elections and the following month, he appointed Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee, as Vice President—cementing him as Abbas’s likely successor.

UNGA 2025: Abbas addressed the UN General Assembly via video link after the US revoked his visa to enter the country along with dozens of other Palestinian officials. During his speech, he accused Israel of “war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement” against Palestinians in Gaza. He also rejected the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, stating it does not represent the Palestinian people. He vowed that Hamas would not have a role in governing Gaza and called on the group to disarm.

Recognition: The State of Palestine is recognized by 157 of the 193 United Nations member states, (approximately 81%) including the high profile recognition of various Western states in 2025.