Issa Basil Bandak (; 1891 – May 1984) was a

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

ian politician who served as Jordanian ambassador to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and commissioner to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

after serving as

Mayor of Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

and appearing as part of the Jordanian delegation to the UN in 1950.

Early life

Bandak was born in Bethlehem into a Christian family; he was educated in Bethlehem and

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. His plans to study medicine in Montpellier were stymied by the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

; instead, Bandak studied telegraph intelligence and became Director of the Telegraph Service in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, Jordan and Jerusalem during Ottoman rule until 1917. Bandak taught in the Frères and Greek Orthodox Schools in Jerusalem. He produced the Bethlehem newspaper with Hanna Al-Issa in 1919 and the Sawt Ash-Sha'b magazine in 1922 (which continued to be published until 1957).

Political career

Bandak became representative of the Bethlehem District for the Muslim-Christian Association, condemning plans for

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

settlement in Palestine, and for the

Arab Executive Committee Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

(1921), establishing the Arab Youth Club in Bethlehem (1922). He became head of the 1st Youth Congress which convened in

Jaffa Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...

in January 1932, which adopted a nationalist charter rejecting colonization and calling for a unified effort by all Arab countries to achieve Arab independence. Bandak was one of the co-founders of the Reform Party (initiated by

Husayn al-Khalidi Husayn Fakhri al-Khalidi (, , 17 January 1895 – 6 February 1962) was mayor of Jerusalem from 1935 to 1937 and the 13th Prime Minister of Jordan in 1957. Early life Khalidi served as a doctor in the Ottoman Army during World War I, and was in ...

) in 1935; served as the thirteenth

mayor of Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

from 1933 to 1938. In 1943, he was nominated (together with Nicola Khouri and Yacoub Jmei'an) by the Arab Orthodox Committee to meet with

Farouk of Egypt Farouk I (; ''Fārūq al-Awwal''; 11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965) was the tenth ruler of Egypt from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936 and reigning until his ...

and

Ibn Saud Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...

to explain the "Palestine Question" and was appointed again as

from 1946 to 18 October 1951. In 1950, Bandak was a member of the Jordanian delegation visiting the UN headquarters. He continued to serve Jordan overseas, serving as Ambassador of Jordan to Spain from 1951 to 1954 and as Jordanian commissioner in Chile from 1954 to 1957.

Later life and death

Bandak was unable to return to Palestine after the 1967 war and died on 7 May 1984, in Chile. His last days were spent in the company of his wife Zahiye and his daughter Jihad.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20131204213804/http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/personalities/alpha_b.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Bandak, Issa Basil 1891 births 1984 deaths 20th-century people from the Ottoman Empire Ambassadors of Jordan to Chile Ambassadors of Jordan to Spain Eastern Orthodox Christians from Palestine Mayors of Bethlehem People from Jerusalem