Hani al-Hassan facts for kids

Hani al Hassan (born in 1938, died in 2012) was an important Palestinian leader. He was known by his nicknames Abu Tariq and Abu-l-Hasan. Hani al Hassan was a key figure in the Fatah organization, especially in Germany. He also served as a member of the Palestinian Authority Cabinet and the Palestinian National Council.

Early Life of Hani al Hassan

Hani al Hassan was born in 1938 in a village called Ijzim, near Haifa in Palestine. He was one of the people who helped start Fatah. Fatah is the biggest group within the PLO.

He was the first Palestinian ambassador to Iran after their revolution. In the 1970s, he helped with talks between the PLO and the United States. Even though he didn't agree with the Oslo peace agreement, Yasser Arafat chose him to be the Minister of Interior.

Hani al Hassan studied engineering in the late 1950s and 1960s. He joined the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1950s. He spent time in West Germany (in Darmstadt and Munich). There, he worked with the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) in Europe. He was a main link for Fatah in Europe from 1963 to 1967. He also served as President of GUPS starting in 1962. He was the younger brother of Khaled al-Hassan. He also lived as a refugee in Yarmouk camp, near Damascus.

Hani al Hassan's Political Journey

Hani al Hassan returned to Gaza in 1995. He became the head of Foreign Relations for Fatah. He also worked as a political adviser to Yasser Arafat.

In the early 1970s, he briefly led Fatah's regional office in Jordan. He was also a deputy to Salah Khalaf in a group called Rasd. From 1974, he was a political helper for Yasser Arafat. He became an ambassador to Tehran and later to Amman in 1982. He had good connections with the Gulf States.

He became a member of the Fatah Central Committee in May 1980. He returned to the Gaza Strip in November 1995. There, he became the main political adviser to Arafat. He was also a member of the PLO-CC and led the Palestinian National Council's foreign relations committee. He was appointed as the Minister of Interior on October 29, 2002.

Mahmoud Abbas tried to remove him from the Palestinian Authority cabinet. Even though Arafat didn't want him to leave, he was replaced in April 2003. He then became Arafat's national security adviser. Hani al Hassan was the head of Fatah's Bureau of Mobilisation and Organisation until April 2007. He was later replaced by Ahmed Qurei. Mahmoud Abbas removed him as National Security Adviser in June 2007.

Death of Hani al Hassan

Hani al Hassan passed away at a hospital in Amman, Jordan, on July 6, 2012. He had been ill for a long time. He was buried in Ramallah, Palestine, on July 9.

See also

• List of Fatah members