Issa Basil Bandak ( ar, عيسى باسل البندك; 1891 – May 1984) was a Palestinian/

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 politician who served as Jordanian ambassador to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and commissioner to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

after serving as Mayor of

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

and appearing as part of the Jordanian delegation to the UN in 1950.

Early life

Bandak was born in Bethlehem into a Christian family; he was educated in Bethlehem and

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

. His plans to study medicine in Montpellier were stymied by the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

; instead, Bandak studied telegraph intelligence and became Director of the Telegraph Service in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, Jordan and Jerusalem during Ottoman rule until 1917. Bandak taught in the Frères and Greek Orthodox Schools in Jerusalem. He produced the Bethlehem newspaper with Hanna Al-Issa in 1919 and the Sawt Ash-Sha'b magazine in 1922 (which continued to be published until 1957).

Political career

Bandak became representative of the Bethlehem District for the Muslim-Christian Association, condemning plans for

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

settlement in Palestine, and for the Arab Executive Committee (1921), establishing the Arab Youth Club in Bethlehem (1922). He became head of the 1st Youth Congress which convened in

Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...

in January 1932, which adopted a nationalist charter rejecting colonization and calling for a unified effort by all Arab countries to achieve Arab independence. Bandak was one of the co-founders of the Reform Party (initiated by

Husayn al-Khalidi Husayn Fakhri al-Khalidi ( ar, حسين فخري الخالدي, , 1895 – 6 February 1962) was mayor of Jerusalem from 1934 to 1937 and the 13th Prime Minister of Jordan in 1957. On 23 June 1935 Khalidi founded the Reform Party and was subsequ ...

) in 1935; served as the thirteenth mayor of Bethlehem from 1933 to 1938. In 1943, he was nominated (together with Nicola Khouri and Yacoub Jmei'an) by the Arab Orthodox Committee to meet with Farouk of Egypt and

Ibn Saud 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 ...

to explain the "Palestine Question" and was appointed again as mayor of Bethlehem from 1946 to 18 October 1951. In 1950, Bandak was a member of the Jordanian delegation visiting the UN headquarters. He continued to serve Jordan overseas, serving as Ambassador of Jordan to Spain from 1951 to 1954 and as Jordanian commissioner in Chile from 1954 to 1957.

Later life and death

Bandak was unable to return to Palestine after the 1967 war and died in May 1984, in Chile. His last days were spent in the company of his wife Zahiye and his daughter Jihad, who married Mr. Raúl Abufhele and had 3 children: Paulette, Raúl and Vivian.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20131204213804/http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/personalities/alpha_b.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Bandak, Issa Basil Mayors of Bethlehem Ambassadors of Jordan to Spain Ambassadors of Jordan to Chile 1891 births 1984 deaths Anti-Zionist Christians People from Jerusalem 20th-century people from the Ottoman Empire Eastern Orthodox Christians from Palestine