Yasser Abbas

Yasser Abbas
Born	(1962-02-08) February 8, 1962
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Years active	1980s–present
Known for	Son of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas; chairman of Falcon Holding Group

Yasser Abbas (; born 8 February 1962) is a Palestinian-Canadian entrepreneur with multi-million dollar assets and is the son of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. His considerable fortune has generated debate within the Palestinian Territories.

Early life

Yasser Mahmoud Reda Abbas, the middle child among three sons of Mahmoud Abbas and Amina Abbas, was named in honor of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. He completed a bachelor's degree in civil engineering at Washington State University in 1983.

Career

While Abbas claims his wealth stems from his business ventures, allegations have been made accusing his family of diverting Palestinian government funds. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he resided in Montreal, Canada, where he managed a firm focused on apartment renovations and gained Canadian citizenship.

Between the 1980s and 1997, Abbas was employed by contracting companies in the Persian Gulf region before establishing his own enterprise based in Ramallah. He owns Falcon Tobacco, which holds exclusive rights to distribute American cigarettes within the Palestinian territories, and serves as chairman of Falcon Holding Group, the parent company of Falcon Electric Mechanical Contracting Company (FEMC). FEMC was awarded a $1.89 million contract from the U.S. government during the Iraq conflict to construct a sewage infrastructure in Hebron.

His business interests further extend to an insurance firm, a civil engineering company, and real estate ventures headquartered in Ramallah. Together with his brother Tariq Abbas, he operates an advertising agency serving the West Bank.

In 2013, a defamation lawsuit he initiated against Jonathan Schanzer—who questioned the source of the Abbas family’s wealth—was dismissed. In 2015, Yasser Abbas was implicated in a corruption controversy involving allegations of public fund mismanagement and acquisition of luxury properties in Ramallah.

Personal life

From a previous marriage, Abbas has two sons and one daughter. He wed Lebanese BBC Arabic Television presenter Malak Jaafar in 2015.