A Palestinian diplomat who was the country’s ambassador for 40 years has been replaced – with his daughter. The appointment of Salam Zawawi by President Mahmoud Abbas drew sarcastic comments and accusations of nepotism from many Palestinians. She replaces Salah Zawawi, who was appointed as Palestine’s envoy to Tehran in 1981. “Salam Zawawi took the legal oath of office in front of the president of Palestine,” the country’s official news agency reported. The ceremony took place on Saturday in Amman, where Mr Abbas has a residence. He frequently conducts official business from the Jordanian capital and meets foreign officials there for logistical reasons. Izzadeen Ahmad, a Palestinian journalist, said that a “young” Mr Abbas made a “natural” move by appointing Ms Zawawi.
The ceremony took place at Mahmoud Abbas’s residence in Amman, the Jordanian capital, and was attended by Majdi al-Khalidi, Abbas’s diplomatic adviser, and Ramzi Khoury, director general of the Palestinian National Fund. Salam al-Zawawi is the daughter of the former Palestinian ambassador to Tehran, Salah al-Zawawi, and is the second Palestinian ambassador since the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Salah al-Zawawi has been the Palestinian ambassador since 1982. He is a founding member of the Fatah movement and has been the former Palestinian ambassador to Algeria, Brazil and Kenya.
