One of the biggest obstacles faced by Abbas remains the fact that militant organizations, as well as a large percentage of the Palestinian population, are opposed to his call for an end to the armed resistance. In Thursday night's attack at the commercial truck crossing into Gaza, three Palestinian militant groups asserted responsibility, including the Islamic Resistance Movement, known as Hamas, and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the militant wing of Abbas's Fatah movement.
As prime minister in 2003, Abbas helped negotiate a cease-fire among the Palestinian factions. On the campaign trail in recent weeks, gun-wielding al-Aqsa members hoisted him on their shoulders during appearances in many West Bank cities.
Abbas has called for an end to the armed conflict, but has insisted he will provide protection for the fighters.
In Abbas's meetings with militant leaders, "there is a high level of civility and respect," said Abu Amr, the former cabinet member and a participant in the negotiations leading to the temporary cease-fire in 2003.
At meetings, Abbas greets the militants with the traditional handshake, followed by three kisses on the cheeks, according to participants.
"They sit together, they differ, they smile," Abu Amr said. "They may differ with him on the formula, but they don't have any doubts about his motives. People trust his motives."
Although Abbas often invoked Arafat's name during his campaign and wrapped his neck in the black-and-white checkered keffiyeh that was Arafat's signature apparel, the two men's relationship remained frigid from Abbas's resignation in September 2003 until Arafat became seriously ill in October of 2004, according to numerous associates.
Though he was no longer prime minister, Abbas retained an influential role as the number two official of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the group that oversees international Palestinian interests. Arafat headed the PLO until his death, when Abbas took over as its leader.
Abbas has granted few interviews in recent years and none since his election last week. Instead, he writes copious notes on each day's events and meetings in a personal journal that has occasionally been expanded into richly detailed books and articles.
"I thought he would never campaign -- he hated to be in crowds," said Ashwari, the Palestinian legislator. "Gradually he began to enjoy the reception, the enthusiasm, the exuberance. I saw some transformation of him coming out of the shadows."
She added, "I don't think you will see a complete transformation. He's not going to become a populist or charismatic character."
Abbas was born in 1935 in the town of Safed, now a part of northeastern Israel about six miles from the Syrian border. His father was a prominent cheese merchant in the town, which was famed for its cheese production. In 1948, after the creation of Israel, the Abbas family fled Safed along with the rest of its 10,000 residents. The family moved to Damascus, where Abbas received a law degree from the University of Damascus. He earned a doctorate in history from Moscow's Oriental College.
He spent his early adulthood teaching elementary school, then working in a government ministry in Qatar. In the late 1950s, Abbas joined the young Arafat's newly formed Fatah movement and spent the next half century in leadership roles within Fatah and the PLO.
Abbas and his wife had three sons -- Mazen, Yasser and Tareq. As is the custom of many Arabs, Abbas took the name of his eldest son as his nickname, becoming known as Abu Mazen, translated as father of Mazen. His son, Mazen, died of a heart attack in 2002 at the age of 43.
