Rafik Haj Yahia ( ar, رفيق حاج يحيى, he, רפיק חאג'-יחיא; 3 September 1949 – 16 April 2000) 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 Labor Party and One Nation between March 1998 and June 1999.

Biography

Born in

Tayibe Tayibe, also spelled Taibeh or Tayiba, ( ar, الطيبة, lit=the kind/benevolent, translit=aṭ-Ṭayyibah, South Levantine pronunciation: ; he, טַיִּבָּה) is an Arab city in central Israel, north east of Kfar Saba.Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...

, before training to be a teacher at a

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

seminary. From 1971 until 1980 he worked as a teacher in an agricultural high school in his hometown. In 1981 he began working as a television reporter, a job he held until 1988. He became a member of Tayibe's local council, and became the town's first mayor in 1989. He also served as deputy head of the National Committee of Arab Local Authorities and of the Union of Local Authorities in Israel. Although he missed out on a seat in the 1996 elections after winning a place on the party's list, Haj Yahia entered the Knesset on 28 March 1998 as a replacement for

Moshe Shahal Moshe Shahal ( he, משה שחל; born 20 May 1934) is a former Israeli politician. Biography Born in Baghdad in Iraq, Shahal made aliyah in 1950. He studied economics and political science at the University of Haifa, before graduating with a l ...

. Upon taking his seat, he resigned his position as mayor of Tayibe. On 25 March 1999, Yahia,

Amir Peretz Amir Peretz ( he, עָמִיר פֶּרֶץ; born on 9 March 1952) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party. A Knesset member almost continuously from 1988 to 2021, he has served as Minister of Defen ...

and

Adisu Massala Adisu Massala ( he, אדיסו מאסלה, am, አዲሱ መሰለ ''Addīsū Messele'', born 16 June 1961) is an Israeli politician. Biography Adisu Masala was born in Gondar province, Ethiopia. He made aliyah in 1980 after crossing the Ethiop ...

broke away from the Labor Party to form One Nation. He lost his seat in the

1999 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1999. * 1999 electoral calendar Africa * 1999 Algerian presidential election * 1999 Botswana general election * 1999 Beninese parliamentary election * 1999 Central African Republic presidential elect ...

and died the following year at the age of 50.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haj Yahia, Rafik 1949 births 2000 deaths Place of death missing 20th-century Israeli educators Bar-Ilan University alumni Arab members of the Knesset Israeli Arab journalists Israeli Labor Party politicians Israeli television journalists Mayors of places in Israel Members of the 14th Knesset (1996–1999) One Nation (Israel) politicians People from Tayibe