MIDEAST KEY PLAYERS

	Ex-Security Adviser Jibril Rajoub
	AP	Palestinian National Security Adviser Jibril Rajoub was the first senior Palestinian official to resign after Mahmoud Abbas was elected president in a landslide victory. For years, Rajoub was the strongest figure in West Bank security. After feuding with Yasser Arafat, he patched up their relationship and became security adviser in 2003. In a statement, Rajoub said he was resigning in order to allow Abbas to appoint his own adviser. Rajoub, a moderate, was a longtime player in peace talks and truce negotiations with Israel, and earned respect for time served in Israeli prisons before the process was launched. He learned Hebrew in prison and used it to establish closer ties with Israeli counterparts. He also once had close contacts with U.S. intelligence. He has recommended consolidating the competing and overlapping Palestinian security services into three branches - echoing similar demands from Israel and the United States.