(1937- ) Also known as Abu Ala'. A Palestinian political figure. A long-time member of Fatah and numerous Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) bodies, he formerly served as the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council from 1996-2003 and was one of the leading Palestinian negotiators in the secret talks that led to the signing of the Declaration of Principles in 1993. Qurei has also held various positions in the Palestinian Authority, including Minister of Economy and Trade, Minister of Industry and Prime Minister from September 2003-February 2006. He currently serves as head of the PLO Department for Jerusalem Affairs and is a member of the PLO Executive Committee. See Parsons, Nigel. The Politics of the Palestinian Authority: From Oslo to al-Aqsa. New York & London: Routledge, 2005; and “Biography - Ahmed Qurei.” MidEast Web. 8 August 2011. http://www.mideastweb.org/bio-qurei.htm.  http://www.justvision.org/glossary/qurei-ahmed