Nawaf Massalha ( ar, نواف مصالحة, he, נואף מסאלחה, 26 November 1943 – 26 October 2021, also spelt Nawaf Mazalha or Nawaf Masalha) 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 and a member of the Knesset. He became the first Muslim

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

to hold a ministerial position in the Israeli government when he was appointed Deputy Minister of Health by

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...

in 1992.

Background

Massalha was born in the town of

Kafr Qara Kafr Qara ( ar, كفر قرع, he, כַּפְר קַרִע; also spelled ''Kafr Qari'') is an Arab town in Israel southeast of Haifa. In its population was . Kafr Qara holds the record for doctors relative to population size in the country with ...

during the Mandate era. He attended

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

, gaining a BA, and worked as a teacher. He was married and father of five children.

Political career

Massalha joined the Alignment, and was elected to 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 ...

in the 1988 election. In his first term, he was made Deputy

Speaker of the Knesset The Speaker of the Knesset ( he, יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ הכנסת, Yoshev Rosh HaKnesset, Chairman of the Knesset) is the presiding officer of the Knesset, the unicameral legislature of Israel. The Speaker also acts as President of Israel whe ...

. He retained his seat in the 1992 election as a member of the Labor Party (which the Alignment had merged into), and became Deputy Minister of Health in

's government. Despite Labor's failing in the 1996 election, Massalha retained his seat again, as he did in Labor's more successful 1999 election campaign. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ehud Barak's government. However, he lost his seat in the 2003 election. Massalha died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

in October 2021.

References

External links

*
Biography on the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Massalha, Nawaf 1943 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Israeli educators Alignment (Israel) politicians Arab members of the Knesset Deputy ministers of Israel Deputy Speakers of the Knesset Israeli Labor Party politicians Israeli Muslims Members of the 12th Knesset (1988–1992) Members of the 13th Knesset (1992–1996) Members of the 14th Knesset (1996–1999) Members of the 15th Knesset (1999–2003) One Israel politicians People from Kafr Qara Tel Aviv University alumni Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel