Issam Abu Bakr
Major General Issam Abu Bakr (عصام أبو بكر), born in Kuwait, is a member of Fatah‘s Revolutionary Council. He served as governor of Tulkarem between January 2015 and his dismissal in August 2023.
Abu Bakr studied business administration at al-Najah University in Nablus. There he was secretary general of Fatah’s Shabiba youth movement. He was arrested several times by Israel because of his political activities and spent more than 14 years in prison. During the first intifada he was part of Fatah’s Tanzim in the northern West Bank. He then became the head of Fatah in that region. Abu Bakr worked in the Palestinian Authority‘s ministry of interior and became governor of Salfit in April 2010.