Mamdouh Al Aker (born 1943) is a Palestinian physician and politician. He was part of several delegations in the meetings with Israel and served as a member of the Palestinian Higher Education Council between 1994 and 2018.

Mamdouh Al Aker
Born1943 (age 80–81)
Education
Years active1970s–present
Medical career
ProfessionPhysician
Institutions
Sub-specialtiesUrology
ResearchSurgical urology

Early life and education

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Al Aker was born in Nablus, Mandatory Palestine, in 1943.[1] He graduated from the Medical School of Cairo University in 1969.[1] During his university studies he was a member of the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.[1]

Al Aker became a fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh in 1977.[2] He received training in urology at King's College Hospital in London from 1979 to 1981.[2]

Career and activities

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Following his graduation Al Aker worked in Kuwait as a physician between 1970 and 1973.[1] He continued his profession at Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem after completing his training in London.[2]

Al Aker was a member of the Palestinian delegation in the Peace Conference held in Madrid in October 1991 and in the following negotiations between Palestinians and Israel.[2][3] He was part of the Palestinian group who developed the Oslo Accords in 1993.[4] However, he left it due to the fact that the proposed agreement did not contain any item to stop Jewish settlements in the West Bank, to have a shared control over the Jerusalem municipality and to free all Palestinian prisoners arrested by Israel.[4] Because of these he became a critic of the [[Palestinian National Authority |Palestinian Authority]] (PA) in 1994 when it was founded.[1] He has also criticized the policies of Israel in the West Bank.[4] He was made a member of the Palestinian Higher Education Council in 1994 and held the post until August 2018.[2] He headed the PA's human rights organization in the 2000s.[5]

Al Aker was the vice president of the Birzeit University and was involved in the establishment of the first Palestinian Medical School at Al Quds University in 1995, being a member of its steering committee.[2] He is a consultant of urology at the Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem.[6]

Al Aker has been a member of various organizations.[7] He is the cofounder the Mandela Institute for Palestinian Political Prisoners and served as the vice president of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens' Rights.[4] He is the treasurer of the Ramallah-based Barenboim-Said Center for Music.[8]

Imprisonment

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Al Aker was arrested by the Israeli forces several times. They accused him of having connections with the Palestinian resistance groups, and he was imprisoned in 1991 without any formal charge.[4] He was arrested in 2002 and imprisoned for 40 days in solitary confinement.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Michael R. Fischbach (2005). "al-Aker, Mamdouh". In Philip Mattar (ed.). Encyclopedia of The Palestinians (Revised ed.). New York: Facts On File, Inc. p. 16. ISBN 978-0816057641.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Dr Mamdouh Al-Aker". Cambridge Centre for Palestine Studies. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  3. ^ Frank T. Csongos (11 December 1991). "No breakthrough in Mideast peace talks". United Press International. Washington. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Kathryn Kingsbury (21 November 2002). "Palestinian Doctor Tells of Israeli Abuses". The Capital Times. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  5. ^ Dimitris Bouris; Stuart Reigeluth (2012). "Introducing the Rule of Law in Security Sector Reform: European Union Policies in the Palestinian Territories". Hague Journal on the Rule of Law. 4 (1): 192. doi:10.1017/S1876404512000103.
  6. ^ "Surgical Department". Augusta Victoria Hospital. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  7. ^ "National Commission for Justice to Nizar Bana was announced". Palestine News Network. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Board of Directors". Barenboim-Said Center for Music. Retrieved 4 February 2024.