June 14, 2007 - Dissolves the government and dismisses Ismail Haniya as prime minister. Haniya rejects this and remains the de facto leader in the Gaza Strip.

June 15, 2007 - Appoints economist Salam Fayyad as the new prime minister of an emergency Palestinian Cabinet.

November 27, 2007 - Attends the Annapolis Middle East Peace Conference, the first formal peace conference sponsored by the U.S. since 2000. Top diplomats and representatives from dozens of countries and organizations also attend, hoping to restart stalled Middle East peace negotiations.

April 24, 2008 - Meets with President Bush at the White House.

January 2009 - Extends his term in office until 2010, citing a clause in the constitution to extend his term until the 2010 election.

November 5, 2009 - Announces that he does not want to run for president in the Palestinian elections scheduled for January 2010. The elections are postponed later in November.

December 16, 2009 - The PLO's Central Council votes to extend Abbas's term as president indefinitely.

May 4, 2011 - Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal formally adopt a reconciliation agreement during a ceremony in Cairo, Egypt.

September 16, 2011 - Abbas announces during a speech in Ramallah that he will pursue a full United Nations membership bid for Palestine.

September 23, 2011 - Abbas submits a statehood application letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.