Zeidan Atashi (, he, זיידאן עטשי; born 10 May 1940) is an Israeli

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

former diplomat and 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 Movement for Change The Democratic Movement for Change (, ''Tnu'a Demokratit LeShinui''), commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Dash (), was a short-lived and initially highly successful centrist political party in Israel. Formed in 1976 by numerous well-known non-pol ...

and Shinui between 1977 and 1981, and again from 1984 until 1988.

Biography

Born in

Isfiya Isfiya ( ar, عسفيا, he, עִסְפִיָא), also known as Ussefiya or Usifiyeh, is a Druze-majority town and Local council (Israel), local council in northern Israel. Located on Mount Carmel, it is part of Haifa District. In its population ...

during the Mandate era, Atashi studied

Arabic language Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

for a BA at the

University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...

, before gaining an MA in political science at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

. He worked for the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

, and was the country's consul-general in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

between 1972 and 1976. In 1977 he joined the new Democratic Movement for Change (Dash), and was elected to the Knesset on the party's list in the

1977 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1977. Africa * 1977 Afars and Issas Constituent Assembly election * 1977 Algerian legislative election * 1977 Gambian general election * 1976–1977 Guinea-Bissau legislative election * 1977 Malagasy ...

. When Dash split the following year, he joined Shinui. He lost his seat in the 1981 elections, but returned to the Knesset after the 1984 elections. He lost his seat again in

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

. Atashi was amongst the founders and chairman of the Druze Follow-Up Committee. He is the author of ''Druze and Jews in Israel -- A Shared Destiny?''The Druze in Israel and the question of compulsory military service
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atashi, Zeidan 1940 births Living people Arab people in Mandatory Palestine Democratic Movement for Change politicians Druze members of the Knesset Israeli Druze Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Social Sciences alumni Israeli diplomats Members of the 9th Knesset (1977–1981) Members of the 11th Knesset (1984–1988) People from Isfiya Shinui politicians University of Haifa alumni Israeli consuls