Hamas Chooses Haniah to Head Palestinian Government

–          The influential official of Hamas Ismael Haniah, 43, is elected to be the Prime Minister of the incoming Hamas-led government.
 
–         Haniah who has eleven children lives in el-Shatia Camp, his home town, north-west Gaza Strip. There he has acquainted with the principle of the Muslim Brotherhood. He is one of Hamas outstanding founders and leaders.
 
–         Haniah, born in 1963, is descended from a Palestinian family of al-Gorah village of Asklan el-Magdal town, the same home village of the slain Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassen.   
 
–         Haniah has concluded his primary and preparatory studies at the schools of Wekalat Gauth and Recruitment of Palestinian Refugees. Al-Azhar Institute of Gaza has been his secondary school. Then, he graduated from the Arabic Language Department, the Collage of Education at the Islamic University.
 
–         Haniah joined ’the Islamic Bloc’, the student affiliation of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Hamas has been derived. 1983-1984, Haniah was a member in the student union of the Islamic University. In 1985-1986, he chaired the union. In post-graduation stage, he worked as an instructor at the Islamic University.
 
–         Upon the breakout of the first al-Aqsa Uprising (1987-1994), Haniah, 24, along with dozens of the Muslim Brotherhood’s leader have founded Hamas. Accordingly, he was repeatedly detained in Israeli jails. In 1987, he has been arrested for 18 days. In 1988, he has been detained for six months. In 1989, Haniah has been put under custody for three years on charges of leading Hamas security apparatus.
 
–         On December 17th, 1992, Israel has exiled Haniah for a year to southern Lebanon along with a number of Hamas officials.
 
–         Haniah was the general director of the Bureau of Hamas Founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassen till his assassination. .  
 
–         On September, 6th, 2003, Haniah who was accompanying Sheikh Yassen experienced a failed attempt on their life when an Israel helicopter shelled a home in Gaza.
 
–         Ismael Haniah is interest in sports where he was appointed to the chairmanship of the Islamic Association Club in Gaza over ten years.
 
–         Calmness and moderation characterize Haniah. He develops wide-scale contacts with Hamas opponents, especially in Fatah Party and the Palestinian Authority.