Ibrahim Dakkak (1929-2016) was a Palestinian civil engineer and activist.
Early life
Dakkak completed his secondary education in Palestine and graduated from the American University in Cairo with degrees in science and mathematics in 1947. He worked as a teacher in
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
, from which he was expelled with a number of
political activist
A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...
.
Career
Dakkak supervised the construction of Tira College for Girls in the city of Ramallah and the
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
ian Shobak School. He was placed in charge of reconstruction of the
al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque (, ), also known as Jami' Al-Aqsa () or as the Qibli Mosque ( ar, المصلى القبلي, translit=al-Muṣallā al-Qiblī, label=none), and also is a congregational mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situate ...
after it burned in 1969.
A prominent leader of the Palestinian national movement after
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
's occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967, he cofounded the
Palestinian National Liberation Front Palestinian National Liberation Front (in Arabic: جبهة التحرير الوطني الفلسطيني) was a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian political and military organization, based amongst Palestinian refugees in Syria. The group existed ...
, which was active until 1972. He served as secretary of the Palestinian National Steering Committee in the occupied territories, which included mayors and a spectra of the Palestinian national movement, which arose in the wake of the Camp David Accords between Israel and
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
.
Dakkak headed the Engineers Association in the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
for 19 years, from 1978 until 1986. He contributed to the formation of a number of leading Palestinian
civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Birzeit University in 2005.