Ruhi al-Khatib ( ar, روحي الخطيب, ; 1914–1994) was the mayor of

East Jerusalem East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Jerusalem was envisaged as a separat ...

under Jordanian rule. Elected in 1957, his term came to an end on 29 June 1967, when

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 ...

dissolved the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of East Jerusalem following its conquest of the city in the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

Early life

Ruhi al-Khatib was born in Jerusalem in 1914 to a prominent family and travelled for studies to England, where he attended classes at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. He became active within Palestinian nationalism upon his return to Jerusalem. Following the

1948 War The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. It is known in Israel as the War of Independence ( he, מלחמת העצמאות, ''Milkhemet Ha'Atzma'ut'') and ...

he entered the hotel business. In 1951 he was elected to the Jerusalem Municipal Council and became mayor of East Jerusalem in 1957.

After annexation

In the three weeks from the day the Israeli conquest of the city until the dissolution of the city council of East Jerusalem, Al-Khatib was working to immediately reinstate the municipal services and restore the calm to the city. He even helped in dealing with sensitive issues such as the surrender of weapons held by the civilian population and the removal of

squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

from the destroyed synagogues in the Jewish Quarter of the

Old city of Jerusalem The Old City of Jerusalem ( he, הָעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה, translit=ha-ir ha-atiqah; ar, البلدة القديمة, translit=al-Balda al-Qadimah; ) is a walled area in East Jerusalem. The Old City is traditionally divided into ...

. His actions attracted criticisms from fellow Arabs, who accused him of collaborating with Israel. However, his dismissal made him a vocal opponent of Israel. Al-Khatib did not recognize his dismissal and remained in Jerusalem. He continued to work as director of the Arab Hotels Company and the Jerusalem Electric Company. In March 1968 he was deported to

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 ...

as his presence in Jerusalem was deemed a danger to the security of

. He was not allowed to take anything with him. His wife and two children, who learned of his expulsion from the radio, decided to stay in Jerusalem, hoping for his return. In the autumn of 1969, Mrs Khatib was arrested and sentenced to three months in prison. After protests from many people, she was released after fifteen days. She was then given a permit to visit her husband and undergo an operation in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. When she tried to return to Jerusalem after her convalescence, she was turned away at the border and refused entry.David Gilmour: ''Dispossessed. The Ordeal of the Palestinians''. Sphere books, Great Britain, 1983, (first published in 1980), p. 136-137.

Later life

Al-Khatib returned to 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 ...

in May 1993. He died 5 July 1994.

Gallery of images

File:Jerusalem Municipal Council 1965.jpg, Jerusalem Municipal Council and Daod Abu-Ghazalel, Governor of Jerusalem, in 1965 File:Rouhi al-Khatib 3.jpg, al-Khatib delivering speech at the cornerstone laying ceremony of Al-Quds University 1966 in the presence of King Hussein of Jordan and the Prince of Kuwait File:Rouhi Al-Khatib - Mayor of Jerusalem & Mrs. Zaeda Khatib - 1966 Jerusalem - St. John's Hospital Ceremony.jpg, al-Khatib and his wife at the 1966 inauguration of St. John's Hospital in Jerusalem File:Rouhi al-Khatib.jpg, al-Khatib delivering a speech to the UN Security Council in 1968

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khatib, Ruhi al- Mayors of Jerusalem 1914 births 1994 deaths People from Jerusalem Place of birth missing Mandatory Palestine expatriates in the United Kingdom