Fuad Hamza, also known as Fuad Bey Hamza, (1899–1951) was a
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
who served as Saudi ambassador to France and the United States and as
King Abdulaziz
Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...
's adviser and representative.
Hafiz Wahba
Hafiz Wahba (15 July 1889 – 1967) was an Egyptian diplomat who was then naturalised in Saudi Arabia. Fuad Hamza and he were the first ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, the former in France and the latter in the United Kingdom. In addition, they were ...
and he were the first ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, the former in the United Kingdom and the latter in France. In addition, they were among the advisers whom King Abdulaziz employed to improve the decision-making process of the state.
Early life, origin and education
Fuad Hamza was born in Abey, Lebanon, in 1899.
He was from
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
,
and ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' reported on 1 September 1936 that his family were from
Ramallah
Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...
. Clive Leatherdale argues that he was a
Druze
The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...
from Lebanon. Isadore Jay Gold also states that he was a Druze, but from Syria.
Hamza was a graduate of the
American College of Beirut and the Jerusalem Law School.
[
]
Career
Hamza was one of the personal advisers of King Abdulaziz and first served him as a translator.[ Next he was made a member of the political committee at the Saudi royal court. He was appointed deputy foreign minister in 1930 replacing ]Abdullah Al Damluji
Abdullah Al Damluji (1890–1971), also known as Abdullah Beg Al Damluji, was an Iraqi physician who served as one of Ibn Saud's advisers. He held several government positions, including the minister of foreign affairs of Najd and Hejaz and of Ir ...
in the post, an Iraqi adviser of King Abdulaziz. Following the establishment of the council of deputies (Majlis al Wukala) in December 1931 Hamza was made one of its four members as the deputy for foreign affairs. In this capacity Hamza signed an amity treaty on behalf of Saudi Arabia with Egypt in Cairo on 7 May 1936. Through the treaty Egypt recognized Saudi Arabia as an independent and sovereign state, and diplomatic relations between two countries began.[ The same year King Abdulaziz named Hamza as his emissary to the Palestine issue, but Hamza could not attend the meetings due to his illness. However, Hamza met with ]David Ben Gurion
David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the nam ...
, chairman of the Zionist and Jewish Agency Executive, at his Beirut home on 13 April 1937. In this unofficial meeting Ben Gurion attempted to get information about King Abdulaziz's views on the formation of a Jewish state in the Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, and Hamza suggested him to meet with Ibn Saud as well as Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
Saud and Yusuf Yasin
Yusuf Yasin (also known as Yousuf Yassin; 1888 – 19 April 1962) was a journalist and politician who served in various capacities during the reign of King Abdulaziz and King Saud. He was among the advisers of King Abdulaziz who were employed ...
during the latter's visit to London for the coronation
A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...
of King George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...
.[ Hamza visited ]Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to negotiate arms sales and met with the Nazi officials in the period 23–27 August 1938.
Hamza was named as the Saudi ambassador to France in 1939.[ He represented Saudi Arabia in the Vichy Conference and the Ankara Conference held during ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.[ Hamza attempted to coordinate a correspondence between King Abdulaziz and ]Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in the same period.[ In November 1941 the King sent him a telegram stating that his attempts would be harmful for Saudi Arabia, and ordered him to terminate all his relations with Nazi officials.
Following World War II Hamza was appointed Saudi ambassador to the United States. In 1947 he was named as the minister of development. He worked at the ]Foreign Ministry In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
of Saudi Arabia as deputy minister until his death in 1951. Yusuf Yasin replaced him in the post.[
]
Personal life, death and work
His brother, Tawfik, also worked at the Saudi royal court. Hamza died in 1951.[ He published several books on Saudi Arabia.][ One of them is about the Arab tribes which was an authentic work on the topic.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamza, Fuad
Fuad
Fuad (Arabic: فؤَاد ''fū’ād, fou’ād'') (also spelled Fouad, Foud, Fuaad or Foad) is a masculine Arabic given name, meaning "heart" - the beating circulating heart, the concept of "mind and spirit".
Its root word is the Arabic verb ' ...
Fuad
Fuad (Arabic: فؤَاد ''fū’ād, fou’ād'') (also spelled Fouad, Foud, Fuaad or Foad) is a masculine Arabic given name, meaning "heart" - the beating circulating heart, the concept of "mind and spirit".
Its root word is the Arabic verb ' ...
20th-century Saudi Arabian writers
1899 births
1951 deaths
Fuad
Fuad (Arabic: فؤَاد ''fū’ād, fou’ād'') (also spelled Fouad, Foud, Fuaad or Foad) is a masculine Arabic given name, meaning "heart" - the beating circulating heart, the concept of "mind and spirit".
Its root word is the Arabic verb ' ...
Fuad
Fuad (Arabic: فؤَاد ''fū’ād, fou’ād'') (also spelled Fouad, Foud, Fuaad or Foad) is a masculine Arabic given name, meaning "heart" - the beating circulating heart, the concept of "mind and spirit".
Its root word is the Arabic verb ' ...
American University of Beirut alumni
Government ministers of Saudi Arabia
Fuad
Fuad (Arabic: فؤَاد ''fū’ād, fou’ād'') (also spelled Fouad, Foud, Fuaad or Foad) is a masculine Arabic given name, meaning "heart" - the beating circulating heart, the concept of "mind and spirit".
Its root word is the Arabic verb ' ...
Fuad
Fuad (Arabic: فؤَاد ''fū’ād, fou’ād'') (also spelled Fouad, Foud, Fuaad or Foad) is a masculine Arabic given name, meaning "heart" - the beating circulating heart, the concept of "mind and spirit".
Its root word is the Arabic verb ' ...