Masaad Kassis ( ar, مسعد قسيس, he, מסעד קסיס; born 1 November 1918, died 25 December 1989) was an

Israeli Arab The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...

politician who served as a member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

for the

Democratic List for Israeli Arabs The Democratic List for Israeli Arabs ( ''al-Qā'ima al-dīmũqrāṭiyya li-'arab Isrā'īl'', he, רשימה דמוקרטית לערביי ישראל, ''Reshima Demokratit LeAravei Yisrael'') was an Arab satellite list in Israel. History In t ...

between 1951 and 1959.

Biography

Born in

Mi'ilya Mi'ilya ( ar, معليا, he, מִעִלְיָא) is an Arab local council in the western Galilee in the Northern District of Israel. Its name during the Kingdom of Jerusalem era in Galilee was Castellum Regis. In it had a population of , all ...

, Kassis attended

Kadoorie Agricultural High School Kadoorie Agricultural High School, sometimes spelled "Kadouri" or "Kaduri", is an agricultural school and youth village in Israel situated next to Mount Tabor in the Lower Galilee, two kilometers north of Kfar Tavor. Founded in 1933, it had a po ...

. In 1945 he helped establish the Co-operative Tobacco Marketing Association, and was its secretary. In 1950, he helped found the Co-operative Vegetable Marketing Association together with the

Histadrut Histadrut, or the General Organization of Workers in Israel, originally ( he, ההסתדרות הכללית של העובדים בארץ ישראל, ''HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael''), is Israel's national trade union center ...

. In 1951, he was amongst the founders of the

, and was elected to the Knesset on its list in the elections that year. He retained his seat in the 1955 elections, but the party did not participate in the 1959 elections. Kassis contested the elections as leader of the Independent Faction for Israeli Arabs,Independent Faction for Israeli Arabs
Israel Democracy Institute but it failed to win a seat. In 1969, he became head of Mi'ilya's local council. He died in 1989 at the age of 71.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kassis, Masaad 1918 births 1989 deaths Arab members of the Knesset Members of the 2nd Knesset (1951–1955) Members of the 3rd Knesset (1955–1959) People from Northern District (Israel) Democratic List for Israeli Arabs politicians