During working in Cairo, Ziyad joined Ain Shams University with to major in law, where he graduated and obtained a university degree later in 1975. In 1971 he founded Daraa Radio in Syria, nine months later he moved to Beirut, where he established the Palestinian News Agency Wafa in the year 1972, and took charge of leading it according to a decision issued by the Palestine Liberation Organization on June 5, 1972. He was also the editor-in-chief of the "Palestine Revolution magazine", which is the central magazine of the Palestine Liberation Organization. In 1974, he became the head of the Palestinian media team in New York City, where he accompanied Yasser Arafat to the United Nations General Assembly, and in 1978 he headed the Union of Arab News Agencies. In 1982, he established "Al-Maaraka" newspaper in Beirut during war and he escaped death in more than one accident. After that, he left with President Yasser Arafat to Tunisia, and there he continued to head al-Wafa News Agency until the signing of the Oslo Agreement, he then returned to Palestine in 1994. Later on President Yasser Arafat assigned him again to head al-Wafa Agency after arriving to his homeland and establishing the Palestinian National Authority. On February 12, 1996 a presidential decree was issued by President Yasser Arafat to establish the Palestinian Information Service, and Abdel Fattah was assigned to lead it as its first president in addition to his duties in al-Wafa. In 1997 a presidential decree was issued to establish the Palestinian National Library, and Abdel Fattah was also its first president. He was also the editor-in-chief of "Ruya Magazine", which is concerned with the Palestinian issue, issued in 2000 by the State Information Service. On May 26, 2005, he ended his chairmanship of the Palestinian News Agency and the Palestinian Information Authority.
