SASSON, ELIYAHU

SASSON, ELIYAHU
SASSON, ELIYAHU (1902–1978), Israeli diplomat and expert on Arab affairs. Sasson was born in damascus , where, at the age of 18, he was the only Jewish member of the Arab Syrian National Committee and publicly greeted Feisal, the short-tenured king of syria , on behalf of the Damascus Jewish community. On Feisal's personal initiative he edited for several months an Arab-language Jewish newspaper to foster understanding between the Jewish and the Arab peoples in the spirit of the weizmann-feisal agreement. In 1920, after Feisal's ousting from Syria by the French, Sasson settled in Palestine and soon became a recognized expert on Arab affairs, at first in various newspapers and later for the Zionist Executive, where he served from 1930 as head of its Arab department. On the Executive's behalf he maintained for years contacts with Arab leaders and traveled widely throughout the Middle East. During World War II he was instrumental in spreading British anti-Nazi propaganda in the Arab countries, and in 1948 he directed the Arab broadcasts of the clandestine haganah radio station. On behalf of the nascent Israeli government he negotiated with King Abdullah of Transjordan and corresponded with the secretary general of the Arab League, Azzam Pasha, and other Arab leaders. After World War II he was a member of most Zionist and Israeli delegations which negotiated the political future of Palestine or Israel-Arab relations: in 1946 in London, in 1947–48 at the United Nations, in 1949 in the armistice talks with the Arab governments in Rhodes and at the abortive peace talks at Lausanne. In 1949 he headed Israel's office in Paris which maintained unpublicized contacts with the Arabs. From 1950 to 1952 he was Israeli minister to turkey ; afterward minister (and from 1957, ambassador) in Rome until 1960. While serving in 1961 as ambassador in Berne, Switzerland, he was recalled to become a member of the Israeli government as minister of posts, becoming minister of police in 1966 (until 1969). Sasson published many articles and political reminiscences in the Hebrew and Arab-language press in Israel, and remained a staunch supporter of the idea that an Israel-Arab understanding is feasible and the enmity between Jews and Arabs a transient phenomenon. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Tidhar, 5 (1952), 2281–82. (Benjamin Jaffe)

Encyclopedia Judaica. 1971.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sasson — (hebrew: ששון) is a hebrew name which means happiness.The name Sasson can refer to:*Isaac Sasson a Lebanese leader of the Jewish community *Jean Sasson an American *Steven Sasson the inventor of the digital camera *Talia Sasson a member of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Eliyahu Sasson — MKs Date of birth = 1902 Place of birth = Damascus, Syria Year of Aliyah = 1927 Date of death = 8 October 1978 Place of death = Knesset(s) = 6th, 7th Party = Alignment Former parties = Gov t roles = Minister of Postal Services Minister of… …   Wikipedia

  • GOLOMB, ELIYAHU — (1893–1945), leader of Jewish defense in Palestine and main architect of the haganah . Born in Volkovysk, Belorussia, Golomb went to Ereẓ Israel in 1909 and was a pupil in the Herzlia High School s first graduating class of 1913. He organized his …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • POLITICAL LIFE AND PARTIES — Introduction It was largely due to the existence of the pre state political parties, which had conducted intensive political activities for almost half a century within the framework of the yishuv , under the British Mandate for Palestine, that… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • 1979 Nahariya attack — 1979 Nahariya attack …   Wikipedia

  • KABBALAH — This entry is arranged according to the following outline: introduction general notes terms used for kabbalah the historical development of the kabbalah the early beginnings of mysticism and esotericism apocalyptic esotericism and merkabah… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Communications Minister of Israel — Israel This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Israel Basic Laws Jerusalem Law …   Wikipedia

  • JOSEPH BEN ELIJAH OF ZASLAW — (first half of 17th century), rabbi and preacher. He was author of the exegetical moralistic works Rekhev Eliyahu (Cracow, 1638) and Yesod Yosef (Lublin, 1638). In Rekhev Eliyahu, which he named in honor of his father Elijah, he printed as an… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • OTTOMAN EMPIRE — OTTOMAN EMPIRE, Balkan and Middle Eastern empire started by a Turkish tribe, led by ʿUthmān (1288–1326), at the beginning of the 14th century. This entry is arranged according to the following outline: sources …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • ELIJAH BEN SOLOMON ZALMAN — (the Vilna Gaon or Elijah Gaon ; acronym Ha GRA = Ha Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu; 1720–1797), one of the greatest spiritual and intellectual leaders of Jewry in modern times. A man of iron will, Elijah combined the personal life of an intellectual hermit… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”