Abdulmalik Dehamshe ( ar, عبد المالك دهامشة; he, עבד-אלמאלכ דהאמשה, born 4 March 1943) is an

Israeli Arab The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...

former politician, who served as a member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (wit ...

for the United Arab List between 1996 and 2006. He was also leader of the party.

Biography

Born in

Kafr Kanna Kafr Kanna ( ar, كفر كنا, ''Kafr Kanā''; he, כַּפְר כַּנָּא) is an Arab town in the Galilee, part of the Northern District of Israel. It is associated by Christians with the New Testament village of Cana, where Jesus tur ...

during the Mandate era, Dehamshe completed his secondary education in

Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

and gained a BA from the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

in 1968, and worked as a lawyer. In 1996 he was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

to the Knesset on the Arab Democratic Party- United Arab List joint list. He was re-elected in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

and became a Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. The Or Commission found that he was responsible for inflaming violence during the October 2000 events. In 1998, he commented "Any Arab who serves in the Israeli Army is a disgusting criminal. We reject all forms of military service because we are part of the Palestinian people." After an Israeli airstrike killed three Syrian soldiers, he sent a letter of condolences to Syrian President

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

, and wrote the return address as "Nazareth, Palestine". He retained his seat again in the 2003 elections and remained a Deputy Speaker. He lost his seat in the 2006 elections. That same year, following the loss of his Knesset seat, he expressed his support for suicide bombings, the use of

Qassam rocket The Qassam rocket ( ar, صاروخ القسام ''Ṣārūkh al-Qassām''; also ''Kassam'') is a simple, steel artillery rocket developed and deployed by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas. These rockets cannot be fired ...

s on Israeli population centers, and kidnappings of Israelis by Palestinian militants.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dehamshe, Abdulmalik 1943 births Living people 20th-century Israeli lawyers 21st-century Israeli lawyers Arab members of the Knesset Arab people in Mandatory Palestine Deputy Speakers of the Knesset Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Members of the 14th Knesset (1996–1999) Members of the 15th Knesset (1999–2003) Members of the 16th Knesset (2003–2006) Palestinian nationalists People from Northern District (Israel) United Arab List leaders