Abd el-Aziz el-Zoubi (, he, עבד אל-עזיז א-זועבי; 4 February 1926 – 14 February 1974) 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 an ...

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 ...

for

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 ...

and 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 ...

from 1965 until his death in 1974. When appointed Deputy

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

on 24 May 1971, he became the first non-

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish member of an

Israeli government The Cabinet of Israel (officially: he, ממשלת ישראל ''Memshelet Yisrael'') exercises executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of ministers who are chosen and led by the prime minister. The composition of the governmen ...

.Ministers of the Minorities
Knesset website

Biography

Born 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 ...

during the Mandate era, el-Zoubi was educated at a local high school, before attending the Arab College in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

.Abd-El-Aziz E-Zoubi: Particulars
Knesset website He worked as a tax clerk for the Mandate authorities, and following Israeli independence in 1948, worked as a clerk for the

Israel Lands Authority The Israel Land Administration (ILA; he, מנהל מקרקעי ישראל, Minhal Mekarka'ei Yisra'el; ar, مديرية أراضي اسرائيل) is an Israeli government authority responsible for managing land in Israel which is in the public d ...

until 1958. He also served as secretary of the Government Workers Union in Nazareth.
Abd-El-Aziz E-Zoubi: Public Activities
Knesset website In 1956 he helped organise the Jewish Arab Association for Peace and Equal Rights, and was amongst the founders of the Arab Institute at

Givat Haviva Givat Haviva ( he, גבעת חביבה) is the national education center of the Kibbutz Federation in Israel founded in 1949. It is the oldest institution in Israel promoting reconciliation between Jews and Arabs. History Givat Haviva, establish ...

. In 1958 he joined Mapam, and in 1961 was appointed deputy mayor of Nazareth. In 1965 he became the city's mayor, holding the post until the following year. In the November 1965 Knesset elections he won a seat on the Mapam list, and entered the parliament. He was re-elected in

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

on the

list (an alliance of the Labor Party and Mapam), and on 24 May 1971 was appointed Deputy Minister of Health in

Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and ''kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1 ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

. He retained his seat in the 1973 elections, but died less than a month after the Knesset reconvened. His seat was taken by

Haviv Shimoni Haviv Shimoni ( he, חביב שמעוני, born 13 January 1933, died 13 July 1994) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment between 1974 and 1977. Biography Born in Dohuk in northern Iraq, Shimoni made al ...

. Outside politics el-Zoubi was also involved in various publications; he was a member of the editorial board of ''New Outlook'', edited the ''al Fajar'' monthly magazine, and was one of the editors of the ''al Mersad'' weekly newspaper. His extended family includes

Seif el-Din el-Zoubi Seif el-Din el-Zoubi ar, سيف الدين الزعبي, he, סַיִף אֵל־דִּין אֶל־זעֻבִּי; in Hebrew his name was most often written without niqqud (as is standard) as . (1913 – 26 June 1986) was an Israeli-Arab po ...

, who also served as a member of the Knesset for several parties and mayor of Nazareth, and cousin

Haneen Zoubi Haneen Zoabi ( ar, حنين زعبي, he, חנין זועבי; born 23 May 1969), is a Palestinian-Israeli politician. The first Arab woman to be elected to the legislature on an Arab party's list, she served as a member of the Knesset for ...

, who was a Knesset member for Balad.Provocative Parliamentarian
The Jerusalem Post, 1 March 2009

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoubi, Abd El-Aziz El- 1926 births 1974 deaths Politicians from Nazareth Arab people in Mandatory Palestine Israeli civil servants Arab members of the Knesset Mayors of Nazareth Israeli journalists Israeli Arab journalists Mapam politicians Alignment (Israel) politicians Members of the 6th Knesset (1965–1969) Members of the 7th Knesset (1969–1974) Members of the 8th Knesset (1974–1977) Deputy mayors of places in Israel 20th-century Israeli civil servants 20th-century journalists