Souss, Ibrahim (1945–)

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SOUSS, IBRAHIM (1945–)

Palestinian writer and diplomat, born in August 1945 in Jerusalem. Souss studied in France and Britain and has degrees in political science and international relations. A former member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), he joined the ranks of al-Fatah in 1966. Six years later, while a student in Paris, he was president of the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) in France. Between 1975 and 1980, he was a member of the Palestinian delegation to United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In August 1978, after the assassination of Izz al-Din Kalak, Souss became head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) offices in Paris. During the following year he participated in the creation of the France-Palestine Association. In June 1992, Leila Shahid replaced him at the head of the general delegation of Palestine in Paris. In 1998 he was appointed assistant director general of the United Nations agency the International Labor Organization (ILO), with responsibility for ILO activities in the Arab states. Souss married Diana Tawil, a sister of Suha Tawil, wife of Yasir Arafat and daughter of Raymonda Hawa Tawil.

SEE ALSO General Union of Palestinian Students;Palestine Liberation Organization.

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