Rawhi Fattuh (Arabic: روحي فتوح, Rawḥī Fatūḥ, also transliterated as Rauhi Fattouh; born 23 August 1949) is the former Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and was the interim President of the Palestinian Authority, following the death of Yasser Arafat on 11 November 2004 until 15 January 2005. Under Palestinian law, he was to hold the post for sixty days until an election was held.[1] The elections were held and won by Mahmoud Abbas, who was sworn in on 15 January 2005.[2] He was elected to the Central Committee of Fatah in December 2016.[3]
Rawhi Fattuh | |
|---|---|
روحي فتوح | |
| Interim President of the Palestinian National Authority | |
| In office 11 November 2004 – 15 January 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Yasser Arafat |
| Succeeded by | Mahmoud Abbas |
| 3rd Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council | |
| In office 10 March 2004 – 16 February 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Rafiq Al-Natsheh |
| Succeeded by | Aziz Dweik |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 August 1949 Rafah, All-Palestine Protectorate, Kingdom of Egypt |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Political party | Fatah |
Biography
editFattuh was elected in 1996 as a representative to the Palestinian Legislative Council of the town of Rafah (in the Gaza Strip), where he was born and has lived for most of his life. He served as secretary to the PLC until October 2003, when he became the minister of agriculture in the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia.
In July 2004, Fatah nominated Fattuh as its candidate for Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council,[4] with 34 Fatah delegates voting in favour and 10 against.
In November 2004, Fattuh supported Ahmed Qurei, his predecessor as speaker and former prime minister, to succeed Arafat as president.
Fattuh was sworn in as interim President of the Palestinian National Authority on 11 November 2004 after the death of Arafat. After taking the oath, Fattuh praised Arafat as a martyr of the Palestinian people and promised to faithfully follow Arafat's policies.[5]
Fattuh did not run in the 2006 legislative election and is no longer a member of the PLC.[2]
In 2022, Fattouh chaired the 18-member Fatah-dominated PLO Executive Committee. Fattouh, a member of the PNC's founding generation, was considered by analysts to be dull and lacking any political influence to actually rule.[6]
Israel revoked the entry permits to Israel for Fattouh and two other senior Palestinian officials in January 2023 after they visited Karim Younis, who was freed from prison after being convicted of murdering an Israeli soldier in 1980.[7]
Views
editAt an event in Algeria in 2023, Fattuh claimed that Arabs had inhabited Jerusalem for over 1.5 million years, while Jews had only been in the Middle East for 6,000 years. The oldest human fossils found date to around 300,000 years ago, 1.2 million years later than Fattouh's claim.[8]
References
edit
- ^ "PNA interim chairman calls for elections preparations". Xinhua News Agency. 13 November 2004. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015.
- ^ a b Bio entry appears in the PASSIA (Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs) website, listed as FATTOUH, RAWHI Ahmed Mohammed (1949-) under "Personalities" at "PASSIA: Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs - JerusalemPASSIA: Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs". Archived from the original on 3 December 1998. Retrieved 12 April 2011. PASSIA's entry is referenced by other online biographical sources.
- ^ "Fatah Congress elects Central Committee and Revolutionary Council members". WAFA. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ The Europa World Year Book 2007. Routledge. 2007. ISBN 9781857434149 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Fattouh Sworn in as Interim Palestinian President". Voice of America. 11 November 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Khoury, Jack (19 December 2022). "It's Not the End of Abbas' Reign That Worries Palestinians. It's What Comes Next". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Fabian, Emanuel (7 January 2023). "Gallant revokes entry permits of 3 PA officials who visited freed terror convict". Times of Israel. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Mosheim, Tash (7 June 2023). "'Palestinians have been here for 1.5m years, Jews for 3000' claims senior Palestinian official". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 31 January 2024.