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 (with ...

for the

United Arab List The United Arab List ( he, הַרְשִׁימָה הַעֲרָבִית הַמְאוּחֶדֶת, ''HaReshima HaAravit HaMe'uhedet''; ar, القائمة العربية الموحدة, ''al-Qā'ima al-'Arabiyya al-Muwaḥḥada''), commonly kn ...

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 and gained a BA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem 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-

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 The Or Commission ( he, ועדת אור), fully the Commission of Inquiry into the Clashes Between Security Forces and Israeli Citizens in October 2000 (), was a panel of inquiry appointed by the Israeli government to investigate the events of Oc ...

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, 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 The following elections occurred in the year 2006. * Elections in 2006 * Electoral calendar 2006 * 2006 Acehnese regional election * 2006 American Samoan legislative election * 2006 Bahraini parliamentary election * 2006 Costa Rican president ...

. 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