Ismail Haniyeh

Ismail Haniyeh

Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh (Arabic: إسماعيل عبد السلام أحمد هنية‎, Ismaʻīl Haniyya; sometimes transliterated as Ismail Haniya, Ismail Haniyah; Arabic pronunciation) (born 29 January 1963) is a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority, the matter being under political and legal dispute. He became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah–Hamas conflict, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues to exercise prime ministerial authority in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Legislative Council also continues to recognise his authority.