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The Businesses of Mahmoud Abbas and His Sons

(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Yoni Ben Menachem - PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas rejected the request of four Arab states - Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates - to mend fences with his bitter rival Muhammad Dahlan. Some of those states want to see Dahlan as the next PA chairman. At the urging of Egypt and Jordan, which fear Hamas, Abbas called off the elections in the territories and consented to a return to Fatah by some of Dahlan's people. Abbas' rejection of Dahlan has impelled the interested parties to reveal publicly the power-wealth nexus of Abbas and his sons. On September 11, Egyptian journalist Hussein Yousef wrote in Al-Masri Al-Youm about the business activity of Abbas and his two sons, Yasser and Tareq. The family's business empire is based on Abbas' own commercial ties and connections with states and large companies worldwide, all of which benefit his two sons' business concerns. The sons own a large business consortium called Falcon, which is involved in tobacco and cigars, electrical and mechanical contracting, international media, and insurance, among other things. Dahlan said Abbas' sons' wealth today comes to $300 million. Abbas seeks a suitable successor who will safeguard his sons' economic empire after he retires. The writer, an Arab affairs expert, is former director general of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.
2016-09-15 00:00:00
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