Nahid al-Rayyis
Nahid Munir al-Rayyis | |
---|---|
ناهض الريس | |
Justice Minister | |
In office October 2003 – 2004 | |
President | Yasser Arafat |
Prime Minister | Ahmed Qurei |
Preceded by | Freih Abu Medein |
Succeeded by | Taysir Al-Tamimi |
Personal details | |
Born | 1937 Gaza City, British Mandate Palestine |
Died | 13 April 2010 Gaza, Palestine | (aged 72–73)
Political party | Fatah |
Profession | Politician, Philanthropist, Author, Poet |
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Nahid Munir al-Rayyis (Arabic: ناهض الريس, 1937–2010) was a Palestinian politician, philanthropist, author and poet. He had formerly served as the Justice Minister of the Palestinian National Authority.[1]
Biography
Al-Rayyis was born in Gaza City, British Mandate Palestine in 1937.[1] He moved to Egypt in 1954 and graduated from Cairo University with a Bachelor of Laws in 1958.[1][2]
Afterward, al-Rayyis joined the Palestinian Liberation Organization's armed wing and became a leader of the group in Beirut, Lebanon.[1] Along with hundreds of other PLO leaders, he was exiled from Lebanon to Tunisia following the Lebanese Civil War.[3] He returned to Gaza in 1996 and was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council representing Gaza City under the leadership of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and as an adviser of the Palestinian Supreme Court.[1] In January 1997, he was appointed to Fatah's second highest-ranking governing body, the Revolutionary Council.[3]
Al-Rayyis served as the Justice Minister of the Palestinian National Authority's emergency government in October 2003. However, he resigned in 2004 citing new laws passed making it difficult for him and his ministry to operate as well as the increased presence of foreign interests (according to him, this included Israel, the United States, and the European Union).[4]
In addition to politics, he was a well-known poet. Most of his work revolved around the Palestinian political struggle and Palestinian culture. He wrote several songs about Palestinian cities and authored the book Palestine in the Critical Period.[1]
After being hospitalized for deteriorating health, al-Rayyis died in Gaza on April 13, 2010. Following his death, dignitaries from every Palestinian faction (including both Fatah and Hamas—which has de facto control over the Gaza Strip) and some parliamentary blocs extended condolences to al-Rayyis's family.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Palestinian poet Nahid Ar-Rayyis dies in Gaza". Ma'an News Agency. 13 April 2010. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012.
- ^ "Nahid al-Rayyes Profile". Jerusalem Media & Communication Centre. 4 January 2010. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011.
- ^ a b Parsons 2005, p. 135
- ^ Sabawi, Samah (2 September 2004). "Interview with Palestinian Justice Minister Nahed al-Rayyes". Electronic Intifada. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
Bibliography
- Parsons, Nigel Craig (2005). The politics of the Palestinian Authority: from Oslo to al-Aqsa. Routledge Publishing. ISBN 0-415-94440-6.
- 1937 births
- 2010 deaths
- Cairo University alumni
- Palestinian male poets
- Writers from Gaza City
- Government ministers of the Palestinian National Authority
- Fatah members
- 20th-century Palestinian poets
- Members of the 1996 Palestinian Legislative Council
- Politicians from Gaza City
- Palestinian writer stubs
- Middle Eastern poet stubs