英语名人堂：马哈茂德·阿巴斯（在线收听）

马哈茂德·阿巴斯(Mahmoud Abbas) ，又名阿布·马赞(Abu Mazen) ，巴勒斯坦阿拉伯人。1935年生于巴勒斯坦北部萨法德，曾获莫斯科大学历史学博士学位[1]  。1959年起协助阿拉法特筹建巴解主流派“法塔赫”[1]  。1995年当选巴解组织执委会总书记[1]  。2003年4月至9月出任巴勒斯坦自治政府首任总理[1]  。2004年11月阿拉法特逝世后，继任巴解组织执委会主席[1]  。2005年1月，当选巴勒斯坦民族权力机构主席[1]  。2006年11月，法塔赫革委会推选阿巴斯为最高领导人[1]  。2008年11月，巴解组织中央委员会选举阿巴斯为巴勒斯坦国总统[1]  。2009年8月当选法塔赫中央委员会主席[1]  。

Mahmoud Abbas was elected as President of the Palestinian National Authority in 2005. He is a leading politician in the Fatah movement. He was also the first Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. Abbas has spent much of his career negotiating with Israel to secure a Palestinian homeland. He is viewed by the West as a moderate who can help bring peace to the region.

Abbas was born in 1935 in Palestine. His family became refugees during the 1948 war with Israel and settled in Syria. He graduated from the University of Damascus and then went to study law in Egypt. He then moved to Moscow to do his Ph.D. In his thesis, he described the Nazi Holocaust as being nothing but a “fantastic lie”.

In the 1950s, Abbas was involved in underground Palestinian politics. He helped recruit for the Palestine Liberation Organization. He also co-founded Fatah in 1957. Throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, he remained a key figure in Palestinian politics. His was a lone voice that argued for the recognition of Israel. He had secret meetings with Israeli groups from the 1970s.

At the 1993 peace accords with Israel, Abbas signed on behalf of the PLO. He was seen by Israel and the USA as someone they could work with. He won the 2005 presidential election and immediately called for an end to violence against Israel. He has worked tirelessly to bring about Palestinian statehood. He also said "There is absolutely no substitution for dialogue."