Haifa - حيفا: Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians: Biography Of Hani al-Hasan

al-Hasan, Hani
resistance leader
1937- Haifa
Brother of KHALID AL-HASAN, one of the founding members of FATAH, Hani al-Hasan himself became involved in resistance politics when he led the General Union of Palestinian Students while studying construction engineering at the University of Darmstadt in West Germany. He joined Fatah in 1963 and soon became a leading figure in the movement. He became a member of Fatah's central council and served as deputy to SALAH KHALAF (Abu Iyad) in the group's intelligence service. By 1967, he had become Fatah's senior figure in EUROPE and in 1974 was appointed chair of its Palestinian political affairs department. He also was a member of the PALESTINE NATIONAL COUNCIL. Internationally, al-Hasan became Fatah's main contact with China.
Despite the fact that al-Hasan eventually became a senior adviser to the PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION (PLO) chairman, YASIR ARAFAT, he was critical of Arafat's embrace of the Iraqi president, Saddam Husayn, during the GULF CRISIS, 1990-1991, and the resulting war. He was also one of several senior Fatah figures who voiced criticism of the 1993 Israeli-PLO accords, criticism that led to serious dissention within the movement. Al-Hasan maintained his position of dissent even after the establishment of the PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, although he returned to the GAZA STRIP from exile in November 1995.
Michael R. Fischbach

The above was quoted from Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians edited by Philip Mattar