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Salim al-Zaanoun

Salim al-Zaanoun is speaker of the Palestinian National Council (since 1993) and a member of the Fatah Central Committee (since 1968). He is a controvesial figure as he never repealed the passages in the PLO Charter that called for Israel's destruction, even though Yasser Arafat repeatedly told US President Bill Clinton the contrary. Furthermore, Arafat never contradicted or disciplined al-Zaanoun, which itself may be quite telling, especially when one considers that al-Zaanoun became a favorite during Arafat's last months, despite having disagreed with him in the past. He also served as senior Fatah representative in the Persian Gulf. At the onset of Arafat's illness, it was rumored that he had named al-Zaanoun to a three man committee (along with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Quraya and former prime minister Mahmud Abbas) designated to run the Palestinian Authority while Arafat was being treated, although these rumors were strongly denied.