Qadura Fares

{{Short description|Palestinian politician}}

{{use dmy dates |date=June 2024}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Qadura Fares

| image = Qadura Fares.jpg

| president = Mahmoud Abbas

| primeminister = Mohammad Shtayyeh
Mohammad Mustafa

| predecessor = Qadri Abu Bakr

| successor =

| office = Minister for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs

| term_start = 7 August 2023

| term_end = 18 February 2025

| office1 = Palestinian Authority Minister without Portfolio

| primeminister1 = Ahmed Qurei

| term_start1 = 2003

| term_end1 = 2005

| predecessor1 =

| successor1 =

| office2 = Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council

| term_start2 = 1996

| term_end2 = 2006

| constituency2 = Fatah

| office3 = Head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club

| term_start3 = 2011

| predecessor3 =

| successor3 =

| office4 = Minister of State for the Affairs of Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission

| term_start4 = 2003

| term_end4 =

| predecessor4 =

| successor4 =

}}

Qadura Fares ({{langx|ar|قدّورة فارس}}) is a Palestinian politician. He was a Palestinian Authority minister without portfolio under Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei from 2003 to 2005, and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council for Fatah from 1996 to 2006. He is a close friend, aide and adviser to senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti. Fares is regarded as one of the principal architects of Fatah's 'young guard' movement, who briefly formed the al-Mustaqbal or "Future" list (2005) before joining with Mahmoud Abbas to form a united Fatah list for the upcoming elections.

From 1981 to 1994, Fares was in Israeli prisons, where he became fluent in Hebrew. In 1996, he was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council representing Ramallah and Al-Bireh.{{cite news |title=تعيين قدورة فارس رئيسا لهيئة الأسرى والمحررين الفلسطينيين برتبة وزير |url=https://arabic.euronews.com/2023/08/09/qaddura-fares-new-minister-palestinian-prisoners-west-bank |access-date=19 March 2025 |work=Euronews |date=2023-08-09 |language=Arabic}}

Fares was not nominated in the united list for the 2006 elections, and ran unsuccessfully as an independent in the Ramallah district. Also, since at least 2011, Fares has been consistently referred to as the "head" of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, so it is unclear exactly what position Fares actually holds as he is not listed as either the President nor the Executive Director of the club, positions clearly identified with other individuals.{{cite news|title=PA official: Abbas won't condemn terror because Israel will say it's not enough|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/official-abbas-wont-condemn-terror-because-israel-will-say-its-not-enough/|access-date=18 June 2024|newspaper=The Times of Israel|date=6 October 2015|first=Marissa|last=Newman}}{{cite web|title=The current situation and conditions of imprisonment of Palestinians in Israeli prisons and detention facilities|url=https://www.un.org/depts/dpa/qpal/docs/2011%20Vienna/p1%20qadura%20fares%20E.pdf|work=United Nations International Meeting on the Question of Palestine|access-date=6 October 2015|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20151025231229/https://www.un.org/depts/dpa/qpal/docs/2011%20Vienna/p1%20qadura%20fares%20E.pdf |archive-date=25 October 2015 |date=March 2011}}

In 2003, he was appointed Minister of State for the Affairs of Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.{{Cite web|url=https://info.wafa.ps/userfiles/server/pdf/covernment_8.pdf|website=Wafa |script-title=ar: تشكيلة الحكومة الفلسطينية الثامنية |trans-title=Composition of the Eight Palestinian Government |language=ar |access-date=18 June 2024}}

Fares began his term as Minister for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs on 7 August 2023, succeeding Qadri Abu Bakr, who had died in a car accident in early July. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas fired Fares on 18 February 2025 after he criticized Abbas's move to base payments for the Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund, often referred to as "pay-for-slay" on financial need. Hamas described Fares' firing as "submission to Zionist and American dictates."{{cite news |title=Abbas ousts PA minister for criticizing Martyrs' Fund shakeup |url=https://www.jns.org/abbas-ousts-pa-minister-for-criticizing-martyrs-fund-shakeup/ |access-date=17 March 2025 |work=Jewish News Syndicate |date=2025-02-21}}{{cite news |title=Abbas fires Palestinian prisoners' head for 'supporting martyrs' fund' |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/palestinian-official-fired-abbas-backing-martyrs-fund |access-date=17 March 2025 |work=New Arab |date=2025-02-19}}