Ahmed Majdalani ( ar, أحمد مجدلاني) (born 1956) is a

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

politician, university professor and researcher. A former Palestinian government minister, he currently serves as Secretary-General of the

Palestinian Popular Struggle Front The Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PPSF, occasionally abbr. PSF), (Arabic: جبهة النضال الشعبي الفلسطيني, ''Jabhet Al-Nedal Al-Sha'abi Al-Falestini''), is a Palestinian political party. Samir Ghawshah was elected sec ...

(PPSF) and is a senior member of the PLO Executive Committee which is considered the highest political level in Palestine

Early life

Majdalani was born to Palestinian parents in Damascus, Syria in 1956. He enrolled in the Social Sciences Academy in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

, where he graduated with a PhD in political economics.Ahmed Majdalani Profile
Jerusalem Media and Communications Center (JMCC). 2010-01-23. Retrieved on 2012-01-23.

Political career

Majdalani is a member of the Palestinian National Council and the

Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO EC) ( ar, اللجنة التنفيذية لمنظمة التحرير الفلسطينية) is the highest executive body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and act ...

(PLO). In 1998, he served as the Director-General of Arab and International Relations for the

Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,

. On 12 August 2009, following the death of

Samir Ghawshah Samir Ghawshah also spelled Samir Ghosha ( ar, سمير غوشة, 1937–August 3, 2009), was a Palestinian politician and militia leader. He was the head of the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PPSF) and member of the ...

five days prior, Majdalani became Secretary-General of the

(PPSF) after being elected by his party colleagues. Afterward, he stated that his goals were to strengthen Palestinian democratic institutions and encourage elections that would end the strife between

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam ...

, which controls the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

, and Fatah, the dominant Palestinian faction in the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

Palestinian minister

Majdalani was appointed the government post of

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

in the 9th Palestinian government from February 2005 to March 2006, where his primary task was dealing with issues regarding the

West Bank barrier The Israeli West Bank barrier, comprising the West Bank Wall and the West Bank fence, is a separation barrier built by Israel along the Green Line and inside parts of the West Bank. It is a contentious element of the Israeli–Palestinian ...

. Most recently, he served as the Minister of Labor for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. He was appointed the post by Mahmoud Abbas, the

Palestinian president The president of the State of Palestine is the head of state of Palestine. Yasser Arafat became the first titular president of the State of Palestine in 1989, one year after proclamation of independence. The title was originally titular, in par ...

, on 19 May 2009. On 13 April 2019, he was appointed Minister of Social Development in State of Palestine Government of April 2019.

Academic career

Majdalani is a professor of philosophy and cultural studies for Birzeit University located north of Ramallah. He has authored three research studies: ''The Serious Threats Facing the Palestinian National Project'' (2007), ''The Arab Peace Initiative: An Option or Strategy for Peacemaking?'' (2007), and ''A Unilateral Declaration of Independence'' (2008).Ahmad Majdalani
Palestine-Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Majdalani, Ahmed 1956 births Government ministers of the Palestinian National Authority Living people Palestine Liberation Organization members Palestinian Popular Struggle Front politicians Politicians from Damascus Academic staff of Birzeit University Government ministers of the State of Palestine State ministers of Palestine Ambassadors of the State of Palestine to Romania Palestinian expatriates in Bulgaria Members of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization