Tayseer Abu Sneineh (alt. Tisir Abu Sneina) is a Palestinian Arab politician, a former member of the Fatah party, and Mayor of

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...

, in 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 ...

. He was convicted by Israel for taking part in the

1980 Hebron terrorist attack On May 2, 1980, six Jews - three Israelis, two American Israelis, and one Canadian - were killed, and another 20 Jews were injured at 7:30 pm on a Friday night as they returned home from Sabbath prayer services at the Cave of the Patriarchs in H ...

, who caused death to 6 unarmed civilians. He was elected Mayor of Hebron on 14 May 2017. Abu Sneina has been lecturing voluntarily to Palestinian youth on the 1980 terrorist act.

Background

Sneinah is a former math teacher and a graduate of the

University of Jordan The University of Jordan ( ar, الجامعة الأردنية), often abbreviated UJ, is a public university located in Amman, Jordan. Founded in 1962 by royal decree, it is the largest and oldest institution of higher education in Jordan. ...

, in Amman.

Political career

Abu Sneineh was appointed in 1993 to the

waqf A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or '' mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitab ...

that administers the Ibrahimi Mosque in

Cave of the Patriarchs , alternate_name = Tomb of the Patriarchs, Cave of Machpelah, Sanctuary of Abraham, Ibrahimi Mosque (Mosque of Abraham) , image = Palestine Hebron Cave of the Patriarchs.jpg , alt = , caption = Southern view of the complex, 2009 , map ...

. Jewish groups protested his appointment. He was elected as the mayor after heading the victorious Fatah party's electoral list in Hebron during the 2017 Palestinian local elections. During the 2021–22 Palestinian local elections, he split from Fatah and formed his own

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

list. Abu Sneineh caused controversy by making comments about offering cash to anyone who killed stray dogs in November 2022, before taking back his comments and claiming that he was not being serious but only making suggestion.

1980 Hebron attack

Abu Sneineh was convicted in the 1980 Hebron attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Sneineh, Tayseer People convicted on terrorism charges Fatah members People from Hebron Mayors of Hebron People convicted of murder by Israel Palestinian people convicted of murder Palestinian people imprisoned by Israel