Nabeel Kassis

{{Short description|Palestainian nuclear physicist and politician; president of Birzeit University (2004–2010)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Nabeel Kassis

| image =

| caption =

| native_name = نبيل قسيس

| native_name_lang = ar

| office1 = Minister of Finance

| term_start1 = 2012

| term_end1 = 2013

| president1 = Mahmoud Abbas

| primeminister1 = Salam Fayyad

| predecessor1 = Salam Fayyad

| successor1 = Shoukry Bishara

| office2 = Minister of Planning

| term_start2 = 2003

| term_end2 = 2005

| president2 = Yasser Arafat

| primeminister2 = Ahmed Qurei

| predecessor2 =

| successor2 = Ghassan Khatib

| office3 = Minister of Tourism and Antiquities

| term_start3 = 2002

| term_end3 = 2003

| president3 = Yasser Arafat

| primeminister3 = Mahmoud Abbas

| predecessor3 = Abdul Razzak Yehiyeh

| successor3 = Mitri Abu Aita

| office4 = Minister of State

| term_start4 = 1998

| term_end4 = 2002

| president4 = Yasser Arafat

| primeminister4 = Various

| predecessor4 = Hasan Abu-Libdeh

| successor4 = Position abolished

| birth_date = 1945

| birth_place = Ramallah, Palestine

| alma_mater = University of Mainz, American University of Beirut

| occupation = Academic, politician

}}

Nabeel Kassis ({{langx|ar|نبيل قسيس}}), also transliterated as Nabil Kassis, Nabil Qasis, Nabeel Qassis, etc., is a Palestinian academic and politician from Ramallah. He was born 1945.

Academic career

Kassis studied in Germany and Lebanon, earning a master's degree from the University of Mainz, and a PhD from the American University of Beirut, both in nuclear physics. He taught physics at a number of universities in Germany, Italy, France, England, Lebanon, and Jordan before joining Birzeit University in 1980. He served as President of Birzeit University from 2004 to 2010.{{cite web | url = http://www.birzeit.edu/president/past-presidents | title = Past Presidents | publisher = Birzeit University | accessdate = 2014-09-13}}

Diplomatic career

Kassis was a member of the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991, and a deputy head of the negotiation delegation at the Washington talks in 1992 to 1993. He later became the Director-General of the Technical and Advisory Committee to the Palestinian negotiation team, established to do preparatory work for the transition to Palestinian self-government. He was a member of the Palestinian delegation on final status negotiations in 1999.

Political career

As a proponent of transparency and reform, Kassis was appointed member of the Special Committee for the Investigation of the Auditor's Report in 1997. He later entered government as a political independent, serving as minister of state in 1998, Tourism Minister in 2002, Planning Minister from 2003 to 2005,{{cite web | url = http://www.jmcc.org/people.aspx?idd=168 | title = Nabil Kassis | publisher = Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre | date = January 4, 2010 | accessdate = 2014-09-13}} and Finance Minister from 2012 to 2013.{{cite news | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/05/palestinian-authoritys-premier-fayyad-gives-up-finance-post.html | title = Palestinian Authority premier Salam Fayyad gives up finance post | work = Los Angeles Times | date = May 16, 2012 | accessdate = 2014-09-13}}{{cite news | url = http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/pas-finance-minister-quits-as-west-bank-economy-worsens | title = PA's finance minister quits as West Bank economy worsens | work = The National (Abu Dhabi) | date = March 3, 2013 | accessdate = 2014-09-13}}

References