Mahdi Abdul Hadi

Mahdi Abdul Hadi (born 22 March 1944) is a political scientist, historian, columnist, author, founder and member of various Palestinian, Arab and international institutions.

However, he moved into the realm of mass media and established, along with Yousef Nasri Naser and Jamil Hamad, Al-Fajr (the dawn) newspaper (1972).

[citation needed] In 1977, Hadi founded the Arab Thought Forum, a Palestinian think-tank, which brought together a range of intellectuals, academics and politicians.

[citation needed] In 1981, he decided to continue his higher education and enrolled at the School of Peace Studies at Bradford University in the United Kingdom, from where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1984 focusing his dissertation on Palestinian-Jordanian relations during the period from 1921 until 1951.

In order to even further broaden his grasp of global issues, he continued his education at the Harvard Center of International Affairs, where he stayed as a fellow for one year (1984–1985).

[citation needed] Abdul Hadi participated in conferences, among them the Salzburg Seminar for Divided Cities - Berlin, Jerusalem, and Belfast in February 1987.

As part of its Research and Publication Programme, PASSIA has published over 120 different studies on a diversity of subjects relevant to the Palestine question and the Palestinians, in addition to its annual diary.

A third pillar of the work undertaken by PASSIA is its Training and Education Programme, which provides a platform for Palestinian practitioners and professionals to deepen their knowledge and expertise in specific areas of international affairs and institutional/personal capacity building.

Since 2009, Abdul Hadi has also been active as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Yasser Arafat Foundation and has contributed to statements, meetings and dialogues to end the Palestinian disengagement (since 2008).

[citation needed] Abdul Hadi has published articles, monographs, and essays and edited publications, including 100 Years of Palestinian History, A 20th Century Chronology (2001).