Posted on 11/13/2006 7:13:53 PM PST by NormsRevenge
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Mohammed Shabir, the leading candidate to head a future Palestinian unity government, is close to both Hamas and Fatah and has made a point of keeping his views about Israel and politics to himself.
The U.S.-educated university professor is a modest, soft-spoken intellectual who commands great respect and has the stature to bridge the differences between the rival factions, Palestinians said Monday. While believed to be sympathetic to Hamas, Shabir is not known to be a member.
But it is his opinions about Israel that could determine whether Shabir can lead the Palestinians out of their international isolation and end months of economic sanctions against the Hamas-led government.
Israel and the international community have demanded that any Palestinian government renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist and accept past peace deals. Hamas, which took office in March, has rejected the conditions, leading to painful economic sanctions against the government.
A Hamas official said Shabir, 60, has accepted the post of premier in an emerging unity government; Shabir was not available for comment. The official spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement.
Shabir has said he would talk about Israel only after he is officially named premier.
"I will make my position clear after the appointment," he told the Israeli daily Haaretz, adding that he would act "realistically."
Shabir holds a doctorate in microbiology from West Virginia University, which he received in 1990.
His adviser, Dr. Bryan Larsen, remembered Shabir as diligent, serious and talented.
"I believe he had a bit of a lighter side," Larsen told The Associated Press. "He was very much involved with his community, involved in the Muslim community in West Virginia and very observant religiously."
"It was very clear that he held to his beliefs very diligently and in doing so, there were certain things he wasn't participating in because of his religious beliefs, like mixers, and social events because of the mixing of genders and the alcohol," said Larsen. "But it wasn't an uncomfortable thing among the other students, he was still very friendly and got along with people."
Shabir is well-known in the Gaza Strip, where he served as president of the Islamic University for 15 years before retiring last year.
In the high-profile position, Shabir maintained good relations with Hamas, which has strong ties to the university. Many senior officials from the Islamic militant group worked or taught at the university, including the current prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, who served as Shabir's chief of staff.
He also enjoys a good relationship with the more pragmatic Fatah movement. When Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was still alive, Shabir was a frequent visitor. He also speaks often with Arafat's successor, moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Officials said Abbas, the leader of Fatah, supports Shabir's candidacy.
Shabir has never voiced his positions on Israel in public, but he is described by colleagues as pragmatic. He would lead a government of experts — acceptable to the major political parties but independent from them — that Abbas hopes will satisfy the international demands for moderation.
The so-called technocrat government would focus on internal Palestinian affairs, while allowing Abbas to pursue peace talks with Israel.
Shabir is a devout Muslim with a reputation for modesty. He has turned down past offers to serve as a Cabinet minister and as university president, rejected offers of security guards and chauffeurs. On Monday, as Palestinian leaders were discussing his candidacy, he was seen driving his small car around Gaza City.
Shabir, born in the Gaza town of Khan Younis, is married and has six children. His wife is a deputy to the women's affairs minister in the current Hamas-led government.
Mohammed Shabir is seen at the Islamic University in Gaza City Monday Nov. 13, 2006. The U.S.-educated professor with ties to both Hamas and the rival Fatah Party, Shabir is the leading candidate for Palestinian prime minister in an emerging unity government, officials said Monday. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
Mohammad Shbair speaks on the phone inside his office in Gaza November 13, 2006.Rival Palestinian factions were close to agreeing on Monday on a new prime minister to replace Ismail Haniyeh, but the candidate required the endorsement of President Mahmoud Abbas to be made final, officials said. Negotiators from the Islamist group Hamas and its more moderate rival Fatah said separately they were near agreement that Mohammad Shbair, the former head of the Islamic University in Gaza, should replace Haniyeh. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA)
Remembering Arafat : Palestinian children, wearing chequered scarves and shirts bearing the picture of later Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, carry wreath during a parade in their Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in the Lebanese southern port city if Sidon, to mark the second anniversary of the death of their historical leader. (AFP/Mahmoud Zayat)
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