Elias Daoud Khoury ( ar, الياس داؤد خوري, he, אליאס ח'ורי) is an Arab-Israeli

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

-based lawyer. He specializes in real property law. Elias made appeals several times to the

Supreme Court of Israel The Supreme Court (, ''Beit HaMishpat HaElyon''; ar, المحكمة العليا) is the Supreme court, highest court in Israel. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all other courts, and in some cases original jurisdiction. The Supreme C ...

, and has had Palestinian politicians among his clients in Israeli courts. Elias gained fame in the 1970s when he led a legal battle against the Israeli settlers of Sebastia and Elon Moreh.

Early life and career

Elias Khoury was born in the

Galilee Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...

. His father lost the family land to Israel in the 1948 war, took citizenship in Israel, and believed he could work patiently through Israeli law to get his land back. Elias studied law at 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 ...

and lived in the Beit Hanina and Shuafat neighborhoods of Jerusalem. Khoury has a practice in Jerusalem, formerly in its Eastern part and now in the West, specializing in real property law. He has represented clients at all Israeli court levels, including the Supreme Court of Israel, as well as in planning commissions.

Terror victims in the family and activism

Both Khoury's father and son were killed in

Palestinian terror Palestinian political violence refers to acts of political violence, violence perpetrated for political ends in relation to the State of Palestine or in connection with Palestinian nationalism. Common political objectives include self-determinat ...

attacks. Khoury's father, Daoud Khoury, was killed when a booby-trapped refrigerator exploded in

Zion Square Zion Square ( he, כיכר ציון, ''Kikar Tziyon'') is a public square in Jerusalem, located at the intersection of Jaffa Road, Ben Yehuda Street, Herbert Samuel Street, and Yoel Moshe Salomon Street. The square is one of the vertices of ...

. Elias' son, George Khoury, was killed by gunfire on 19 March 2004, while jogging in the neighborhood of

French Hill French Hill ( he, הגבעה הצרפתית, ''HaGiv'a HaTzarfatit'', ar, التلة الفرنسية, ''at-tel al-faransiya''), also Giv'at Shapira ( he, גִּבְעַת שַׁפִּירָא) is an Israeli settlement in northern East Jerusa ...

in Jerusalem. The

Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades () is a coalition of Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank. The organization has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the European Union, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States. L ...

, the military branch of the

Fatah Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...

movement, claimed responsibility. After it became clear that the victim was an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

it apologized, and offered to declare him a martyr for the Palestinian cause. "This is a barbaric act that will not change my world view, which includes deep faith in Palestinian rights," said Khoury. In the framework of his public activities, he has expressed concerns about the impacts of the lack of Arab participation in the urban politics of Jerusalem, while expressing an understanding of the rationale. In 2008, he expressed concerns with a planned real estate deal between his own

Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, el, Πατριαρχεῖον Ἱεροσολύμων, ''Patriarcheîon Hierosolýmōn;'' he, הפטריארכיה היוונית-אורתודוקסית של ירושלים; ar, كنيسة الرو� ...

and the State of Israel. On 6 March 2010, ''The New York Times'' reported that Khoury had paid to have Amos Oz's '' A Tale of Love and Darkness'' translated into Arabic and distributed in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

and other Arab capitals. Of his decision to pay for the translation and publication of the book, Khoury said: "This book tells the history of the rebirth of the Jewish people. We can learn from it how a people like the Jewish people emerged from the tragedy of the Holocaust and were able to reorganize themselves and build their country and become an independent people. If we can't learn from that, we will not be able to do anything for our independence."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khoury, Elias Advocates Arab citizens of Israel Israeli Arab Christians Israeli lawyers Living people Real property lawyers Year of birth missing (living people) Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Law alumni People from Northern District (Israel)