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| '''Ahmed Qurei''' (b. ]), also known as '''Abu Ala''', was elected Speaker of the ] (PLC) in March of ]. He was |
'''Ahmed Qurei''' (b. ]), also known as '''Abu Ala''', was elected Speaker of the ] (PLC) in March of ]. He was appointed ] of the ] by ] following the resignation of ] in September ]. | ||
| Qurei was born in ] (near ]) to a relatively wealthy family. He joined the ] wing of the ] (PLO) in ]. As a banker, he used his expertise during the ] as the director of the PLO's foreign investment branch and director-general of the PLO's economic branch, helping to make the organization one of the largest employers in ]. He followed Arafat to ] after the PLO was forced to leave Lebanon. As more senior leaders died, Qurei rose to prominence and was elected to the ] in August ]. | Qurei was born in ] (near ]) to a relatively wealthy family. He joined the ] wing of the ] (PLO) in ]. As a banker, he used his expertise during the ] as the director of the PLO's foreign investment branch and director-general of the PLO's economic branch, helping to make the organization one of the largest employers in ]. He followed Arafat to ] after the PLO was forced to leave Lebanon. As more senior leaders died, Qurei rose to prominence and was elected to the ] in August ]. | ||
Revision as of 23:30, 13 September 2003
Ahmed Qurei (b. 1937), also known as Abu Ala, was elected Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in March of 2000. He was appointed Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority by Yasser Arafat following the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas in September 2003.
Qurei was born in Abu Dis (near Jerusalem) to a relatively wealthy family. He joined the Fatah wing of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1968. As a banker, he used his expertise during the 1970s as the director of the PLO's foreign investment branch and director-general of the PLO's economic branch, helping to make the organization one of the largest employers in Lebanon. He followed Arafat to Tunis after the PLO was forced to leave Lebanon. As more senior leaders died, Qurei rose to prominence and was elected to the Fatah Central Committee in August 1989.
As a member of the Central Committee, Qurei was instrumental in negotiating the Oslo Accords. He held various posts in the first Palestinian Authority cabinets including Minister of Economy & Trade and Minister of Industry. He was also responsible for a development plan for the Palestinian territories submitted to the World Bank in 1993. He also founded and became director of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction (PECDAR) in 1993 in order to help garner money from international donors. Soon after, he was elected to the PLC and was elected Speaker in March 2000. He has been nominated for Prime Minister by Arafat and is awaiting confirmation of the appointment by the PLC.