Muhammed Wattad ( ar, محمد وتد, he, מוחמד ותד; 1 June 1937 – 24 September 1994) was 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 and ...

journalist, writer and 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 (with ...

between 1981 and 1988.

Biography

Born in Jatt during the Mandate era, Wattad was a member of the Israeli Communist Youth and

Hashomer Hatzair Hashomer Hatzair ( he, הַשׁוֹמֵר הַצָעִיר, , ''The Young Guard'') is a Labor Zionist, secular Jewish youth movement founded in 1913 in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary, and it was also the name of the gro ...

. He attended

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

, where he took Asian and African Studies. A member of

Mapam Mapam ( he, מַפָּ״ם, an acronym for , ) was a left-wing political party in Israel. The party is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party. History Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the kibbutz-based Hashomer Hatz ...

, he edited the Arabic-language version of the party's newspaper, ''

Al HaMishmar ''Al HaMishmar'' ( he, על המשמר, ''On Guard'') was a daily newspaper published in Mandatory Palestine and Israel between 1943 and 1995. The paper was owned by, and affiliated with Hashomer Hatzair as well as the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Pa ...

''. In

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...

he was elected to the Knesset on the

Alignment Alignment may refer to: Archaeology * Alignment (archaeology), a co-linear arrangement of features or structures with external landmarks * Stone alignment, a linear arrangement of upright, parallel megalithic standing stones Biology * Structu ...

list (an alliance of Mapam and the Labor Party). He was re-elected in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...

, shortly after which Mapam left the Alignment. On 12 July 1988 he left Mapam to join Hadash,Mergers and Splits amongst Parliamentary Groups
Knesset website due to disappointment with Mapam's policy towards the

First Intifada The First Intifada, or First Palestinian Intifada (also known simply as the intifada or intifadah),The word '' intifada'' () is an Arabic word meaning " uprising". Its strict Arabic transliteration is '. was a sustained series of Palestini ...

. He lost his seat in the 1988 elections. After leaving politics, he managed and edited the ''

Kul al-Arab ''Kul al-Arab'' ( ar, كل العرب, meaning ''All Arabs'') is an Israeli Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Wening ...

'' newspaper, and later ran a public relations firm. He died in 1994 following a traffic collision.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wattad, Muhammed 1937 births 1994 deaths People from Haifa District Arab people in Mandatory Palestine Tel Aviv University alumni Arab members of the Knesset Israeli journalists 20th-century Israeli businesspeople Road incident deaths in Israel Hashomer Hatzair members Hadash politicians Alignment (Israel) politicians Mapam politicians Members of the 10th Knesset (1981–1984) Members of the 11th Knesset (1984–1988) Israeli Arab journalists 20th-century journalists