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Abu Zaida was born in 1960 in Jabaliya refugee camp in north Gaza. He holds a BA in sociology and political science from al-Azhar University in Gaza, a master's in conflict resolution from Bradford University in England and a PhD in Middle Eastern politics from Exeter University in England. He speaks fluent English and Hebrew.
Upon the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1994, Abu Zaida served as director general in the ministry of planning and international cooperation, which was also responsible for Israeli affairs, until 1999. During this period he was also a member of the steering committee of the people-to-people program (part of the Oslo Accords) and director of the Palestinian committee. At that time he also served as a member of the Palestinian delegation responsible for negotiations over the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Between 1999 and 2004 Abu Zaida served as deputy minister in the ministry of civil affairs. He has been a member of the Fateh higher committee in Gaza since 1994.
Since March 2006, when the Hamas-led government was established, Abu Zaida has been teaching and running the masters programs at al-Quds University in Gaza.
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