Anwar Nusseibeh
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Anwar Nusseibeh ( Arabic: انور نسيبة ) Anwar Nusseibeh (1913–1986) was a Palestinian nationalist who believed in maintaining Arab consensus, on the grounds that Arab unity was more important than the individual differences. He also believed in immersing oneself and fully participating in whatever system holds power, in order to advance the cause of Palestinian nationalism -- hence his participation in Jordanian politics 1948–67. He encouraged his son, Sari Nusseibeh, to interact with Jews and Israelis after the Six Day War in 1967[1].
[edit] Biography
Mr Nusseibeh was born in Jerusalem and studied Law at Cambridge University. He became a judge in the British administration of Palestine. During the 1948 war, Mr Nusseibeh fought against the Israeli forces, and lost a leg. After a brief period out of Jerusalem, he returned to Jerusalem, at the time part of Jordan. He stood for election to Parliament and won by an overwhelming majority. In 1965, he became the Jordanian Ambassador to the Court of St. James. During his time as an ambassador in London, Nusseibeh established a warm relationship with members of the British Royal Family. He held several major posts in the Jordanian Government before Israel took control of East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 war. But he became one of the first Palestinians involved in contacts with Israel after it captured the Arab sector of the city[2].
During his life, He filled the following positions; [3]
- Land Officer of Jerusalem, 1936.
- Cabinet Secretary of the first and only All-Palestine Government, formed by Haj Amin Husseini in Gaza, 1948.
- Elected in 1950 as a Palestinian representative to the lower house (Chamber of Deputies) of the Jordanian Parliament.
- Appointed in September 1952, as the Jordanian Cabinet (Minister of Development and Reconstruction, later Minister of Defence and Minister of Education).
- Appointed in 1963, as the Upper House (Senate), and Ambassador to the United Kingdom, by King Hussein.
- Appointed as the Governor of Jerusalem, 1965.
- Appointed as the Jordanian minister of defense during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Mr. Nusseibeh was also a guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the walled Old City of Jerusalem.
Mr. Nusseibeh died on 24 November 1986 at his home in Jerusalem at the age of 74. Buried at the gates of the Noble Sanctuary within the confines of Haram as-Sharif Al-Aqsa Mosque. His funeral was attended by thousands of people.
