Ezzedine Kalak ( ar, عز الدين القلق, 'Izz al-Din al-Qalaq; 1936–1978) was a member 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 ...

and served as the representative of the

Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establ ...

(PLO) in France from 1973 to his assassination in Paris on 3 August 1978. He was killed by the Abu Nidal group.

Early life and education

Kalak was born in Haifa, Mandatory Palestine, in 1936. He was named after Ezzeddin Al Qassam, leader of the Arab revolt in Palestine between 1936 and 1939. Kalak had seven siblings. Kalak was educated in Haifa until Nakba in 1948 when the family had to leave Palestine and settled in Damascus. Following his graduation from high school in Damascus he attended Damascus University. During his studies he joined a literary group and published short stories in the Syrian newspapers. He also became a member of the

Syrian Communist Party The Syrian Communist Party ( ar, الحزب الشيوعي السوري, translit=al-Ḥizb aš-Šuyūʿī as-Sūrī) was a political party in Syria founded in 1924. It became a member of the National Progressive Front in 1972. The party spli ...

while studying at the university. He was imprisoned for three years due to his Communist activities from 1959 and 1961. After his release from prison he translated and published the American and Chinese short stories. He graduated from Damascus University in 1963 obtaining a degree in chemistry. Kalak received a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Poitiers in the late 1960s. During his studies in France he joined the Fatah and was elected as the head of the General Union of Palestinian Students in France.

Career and activities

Following his graduation from Damascus University Kalak worked as a teacher in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, until 1965. He settled in Paris after he completed his Ph.D. and worked for Radio Monte Carlo as a translator. He established a magazine entitled ''Fedayeen'' ( ar, Resistance fighter) in Paris in 1970. During this period he began to work with Mahmoud Hamshari, PLO's representative in France. Kalak was instrumental in getting support from French artists, including Serge Le Péron and Claude Lazar, for the

Palestinian cause Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Palestinian National Charter of 1968' ...

. Through Kalak's initiatives the French artists produced posters and contributed to the exhibitions and other artistic events in support of Palestinian resistance movement. Kalak succeeded Hamshari as the representative of the PLO in France in September 1973 after the assassination of Hamshari by the Mossad agents. The PLO office was semi-officially recognized by France on 31 October 1975 and was reopened at the

Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...

headquarters in the Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. Kalak was the first Palestinian official who was invited to

Élysée Palace The Élysée Palace (french: Palais de l'Élysée; ) is the official residence of the President of the French Republic. Completed in 1722, it was built for nobleman and army officer Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, who had been appointed Gover ...

to attend a ceremony held for the Saudi Arabian King Khalid in 1978. Kalak collected various political posters produced by the Palestinians in the 1960s and 1970s. These were archived by the Poster House in New York City which donated them to the Watson Library.

Assassination

Kalak and his aide Adnan Hammad were shot to death at the PLO Office in Paris on 3 August 1978. Three other people were also injured in the attack. The perpetrators were Hatem Husni and Kayad Assad who were the members of the Black June, part of the Abu Nidal Organization, a revolutionary Palestinian group. They were university students in France and were both Jordanians of Palestinian origin. Husni and Assad were arrested immediately after the murder. They were sentenced to fifteen years in prison in March 1980. However, they were released from prison in 1986 and deported from France as a result of the negotiations between the government of France and Abu Nidal Organization. Through the deal the terrorist attacks of the Abu Nidal Organization in France were terminated. Following their release from prison Hatem Husni and Kayad Assad met with

Abu Nidal Sabri Khalil al-Banna (May 1937 – 16 August 2002), known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Nidal, was the founder of Fatah: The Revolutionary Council, a militant Palestinians, Palestinian splinter group more commonly known as the Abu Nidal ...

, leader of the Abu Nidal Organization, at an undisclosed location. A funeral ceremony for Kalak and Adnan Hammad was held at the

Grand Mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.* * * * * * * ...

, Paris, and Kalak was buried in Damascus on 5 August 1978. Hammad was buried in Beirut, Lebanon.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalak, Ezzedine 20th-century Palestinian diplomats 20th-century Palestinian writers 1936 births 1978 deaths Palestinian people murdered abroad People murdered in Paris Palestinian educators Palestinian expatriates in Syria Palestinian expatriates in Saudi Arabia Terrorism deaths in France Damascus University alumni University of Poitiers alumni Fatah members Arab people in Mandatory Palestine Palestinian translators Politicians from Haifa Syrian Communist Party politicians Palestinian people imprisoned by Syria Assassinated Palestinian diplomats European politicians assassinated in the 1970s Politicians assassinated in 1978