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|successor =
|successor =
|birth_date = 1952
|birth_date = 1952
|birth_place = [[Deir al-Ghusun]], [[West Bank]]
|birth_place = [[Deir al-Ghusun]], [[Palestine]]
|party = [[Third Way (Palestine)|Third Way]]
|party = [[Third Way (Palestine)|Third Way]]
|alma_mater = [[St. Edward's University|Saint Edward's University]]<br>[[University of Texas at Austin]]
|alma_mater = [[St. Edward's University|Saint Edward's University]]<br>[[University of Texas at Austin]]

Revision as of 16:49, 29 April 2010

Salam Fayyad
سلام فياض
File:Salam fayyad.jpg
Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
Assumed office
15 June 2007*
PresidentMahmoud Abbas
Preceded byIsmail Haniyeh
Personal details
Born1952
Deir al-Ghusun, Palestine
Political partyThird Way
Alma materSaint Edward's University
University of Texas at Austin
  • Ismail Haniyeh was dismissed by Abbas on 14 June 2007 and appointed Fayyad is his stead. Fayyad only governs in the Fatah-controlled West Bank.

Salam Fayyad (Arabic: سلام فياض; b. 1952 Deir al-Ghusun) is a Palestinian Christian politician and the current Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority after being reappointed on 19 May 2009. His first appointment, on 15 June 2007, was justified by President Mahmoud Abbas on the basis of "national emergency", has not been confirmed by the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Palestinian Authority's parliament.[1][2] Fayyad has also been the finance minister from 17 March 2007 and previously held the post from June 2002 to November 2006.

Fayyad is an internationally respected economist and politician.[3][4] Salam Fayyad graduated from the American University of Beirut in 1975 [2] and received his MBA from St. Edward's University in 1980.[5] Fayyad has a PhD in economics from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a student of William Barnett and did early research on the American Divisia Monetary Aggregates, which he continued on the staff of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Fayyad began his career teaching economics at Yarmouk University in Jordan, before joining the World Bank from 1987–1995. He subsequently became the International Monetary Fund representative to the Palestinian National Authority until 2001. Following this Fayyad served as the regional manager of the Arab Bank in the West Bank and Gaza until he accepted an offer to become Yasser Arafat's finance minister.

Upon resigning as finance minister, Fayyad ran as founder and leader of the new Third Way party in the legislative elections of 2006 alongside Hanan Ashrawi and Yasser Abd Rabbo[6]. Fayyad and Ashrawi won their seats.

He is seen as pro-Western and was predicted to be offered prime minister by both Fatah and by the winner of the elections: the List of Change and Reform. Fayyad was credited for the U.S. Congress' deposit of $200 million to the Palestinian Authority in 2009.[7] In response to the offer, Fayyad presented several conditions to becoming prime minister, including that Hamas would recognise Israel, which Hamas declined.

On 17 March 2007, Fayyad was again appointed finance minister, this time within the Fatah-Hamas coalition government.[8] On 15 June 2007, following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, Fayyad was appointed prime minister of a new "independent" government (without any Fatah or Hamas members) which is supported by the Fatah, Israel and the West.

This appointment has been challenged as illegal, because while the Palestinian Basic Law permits the president to dismiss a sitting prime minister, the appointment of a replacement requires the approval of the Legislative Council. The law provides that after removal of the prime minister (in this case, Ismail Haniyeh), the outgoing prime minister heads a caretaker government. The current Legislative Council, in which Hamas holds a majority of seats, has not approved the appointments of Fayyad or the balance of his new government. Fayyad's appointment was never placed before, or approved by it.[9]. Haniyeh continues to operate as prime minister in Gaza, and is recognized by a large number of Palestinians as the legitimate acting prime minister. Anis al-Qasem, a constitutional lawyer who drafted the Basic Law, is among those who publicly declared the appointment of Fayyad to be illegal.[10].

On 17 October 2008, while visiting the University of Texas in Austin, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award before the Texas-Missouri football game, presented by the Ex-Students' Association of the University of Texas.

On 7 March 2009, Salam Fayyad submitted his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas.[11]

On 19 May 2009, Fayyad was reappointed to the post of Prime Minister.[12]

Fayyad is married to Bashaer Kalouti, and together they have three children.

2004 Arab Bank Terrorism Lawsuit

Fayyad served as regional manager of the Arab Bank from January 2002 until July 2002. On February 26, 2004, Israeli soldiers raided Arab Bank's al-Bireh branch, seizing bank records and funds belonging to accused terrorists.[13][14] Using documents seized in the raid, U.S. lawyers launched a $875 Million lawsuit against Arab Bank on the behalf of the U.S. and Israeli terror victims.[15][16] According to lawyers filing the lawsuit, Arab Bank was engaged both in laundering money used to finance terrorism and in paying off the families of suicide bombers.[15] Specifically, lawyers claimed that Arab Bank was knowingly complicit in aiding the Saudi Arabian government in transferring more than $4 billion to Palestinian terrorist groups.[16] On 2005-09-02 a federal judge upheld the validity of the suit, permitting the lawsuit to proceed.[17] As of 2009-06-10 the suit is still ongoing.[18]

Government Basic Policy Guidelines

On August 23, 2009, Fayyad came out with a detailed working plan for the 13th Government of the Palestinian Authority for establishing the fundamental infrastructures of a Palestinian State, called "Palestine — Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State", in which he detailed a two years working plan for building the infrastructures and institutions of the future Palestinian State, that includes, among others, building Government offices, a stock market, and an airport, developing the existing infrastructures, Separation of powers, Free market etc., with the purpose of establishing a "de facto Palestinian State", based on the premise that the peace talks with Israel were faltering [19][20]. Thomas Friedman has praised Fayyad for trying to build functioning institutions of a Palestinian state, and not focusing on Israel. Unlike Yasser Arafat, Fayyad "calls for the opposite — for a nonviolent struggle, for building noncorrupt transparent institutions and effective police and paramilitary units, which even the Israeli Army says are doing a good job; and then, once they are all up and running, declare a Palestinian state in the West Bank by 2011." [21]

References

  1. ^ "Abbas suspends articles from Basic Law". Kuwait News Agency. 2007-06-17.
  2. ^ Kershner, Isabel (2007-06-17). "Abbas Swears in Emergency Government". New York Times. {{cite news}}: Text "Taghreed El-Khodary" ignored (help)
  3. ^ EU backs new Palestinian government[dead link] Sacramento Bee, 18 June 2007
  4. ^ Profile: Salam Fayyad. BBC News, 17 June 2007
  5. ^ 1980 MBA Graduate of St. Edward's University
  6. ^ Palestinian third way rises
  7. ^ Peraino, Kevin. "Palestine's New Perspective." Newsweek. 14 Sept. 2009: 43-47.
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ Whose Coup Exactly?, The Electronic Intifada, 18 June 2007
  10. ^ Opinion of lawyer who drafted Palestinian law[dead link], Reuters, 8 July 2007. Accessed 7 August 2007
  11. ^ Palestinian PM Fayyad steps down BBC NEWS 7 March 2009, accessed 7 March 2009
  12. ^ Palestinians Reappoint Prime Minister Who Had Quit New York Times 19 May 2009, accessed 20 May 2009
  13. ^ "Israeli bank raid breaks new turf". The Christian Science Monitor. 2004-02-27. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  14. ^ "Israelis, in Raid on Arab Banks, Seize Reputed Terrorist Funds". The New York Times. 2004-02-26. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  15. ^ a b "Lawsuit: Arab Bank financed terror group". USA Today. 2004-07-06. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  16. ^ a b "Bank sued over Israel suicide attacks". The Age. 2004-12-23. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  17. ^ "Judge Allows Suits Against Bank For Paying Bombers' Relatives". The New York Times. 2005-09-03. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  18. ^ "Omagh Victims' Civil-Court Victory Creates New Counterterrorism Tool". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2009-06-10. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  19. ^ Ali Waked, תוכנית פיאד: פלסטין דמוקרטית וקפיטליסטית, Yediot Ahronot, August 25, 2009
  20. ^ Avi Yisasharof, ראש הממשלה הפלסטיני, סלאם פיאד: מדינה דה-פקטו בתוך שנתיים, August 25, 2009
  21. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/opinion/17friedman.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salam Fayyad.
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Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
Disputed
2007–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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