Misplaced Pages

Uri Davis: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 03:23, 18 October 2010 editWikifan12345 (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers12,039 edits he is still an israeli citizen and jewish. "jewish descent" is a tough sell since both his parents r jewish← Previous edit Latest revision as of 06:13, 21 December 2024 edit undoSmasongarrison (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers729,365 edits Copying from Category:Jewish Israeli activists for Palestinian solidarity to Category:Israeli activists for Palestinian solidarity User:AHI-3000 this is a non-diffusing categoey using Cat-a-lot 
(146 intermediate revisions by 77 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Israeli activist}}
'''Uriel "Uri" Davis''' ({{lang-he|אוריאל "אורי" דייוויס}} {{Lang-ar|أوري ديفيس}}, born 1943 in ]) is an academic and activist who works on civil rights in ], Palestinian National Authority and the ].<ref name="Zmag">, accessed June 12, 2006</ref> Davis has served as Vice-Chairman of the ] and as lecturer in ] at the ]. Davis, who converted to ] in ], describes himself as "a ] ] national of ]ish origin, ], registered as ] and a citizen of an ] - the State of Israel."<ref name=BBCaug09>{{cite news
{{Infobox Officeholder
|title=Israeli wins Fatah top body seat
| name = Uriel "Uri" Davis
| image =
| caption =
| office = Vice-Chairman of the ]
| term_start =
| term_end =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| office1 = Lecturer in Peace Studies at the ]
| term_start1 =
| term_end1 =
| predecessor1 =
| successor1 =
| office2 = Member of ]
| term_start2 = 2009
| term_end2 =
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = ], Mandatory Palestine
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Palestinian
| party = Fatah
| otherparty =
| spouse = ]
| children =
| residence = Sakhnin, Ramle
| alma_mater = ], The New School for Social Research
| occupation = Academic, civil rights activist
| profession =
| website =
}}
]
'''Uriel "Uri" Davis''' ({{langx|he|אוריאל "אורי" דייוויס}} {{Langx|ar|أوري ديفيس}}, born 8 June 1943 in ]) is an academic and civil rights activist. Davis has served as Vice-Chairman of the ] and as lecturer in ] at the ]. Davis describes himself as "a ] ] national of ]ish origin, ], registered as ] and a citizen of an ] - the State of Israel."<ref name=BBCaug09>{{cite news
|title=Israeli wins Fatah top body seat
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203989.stm |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203989.stm
|accessdate=2009-08-26 |access-date=2009-08-26
|author=BBC News |author=BBC News
|publisher=BBC |publisher=BBC
| date=16 August 2009}}</ref> A member of ] since 1984, he was elected to the Revolutionary Council for the ] party in 2009.<ref name=BBCaug09/><ref name="Beaumont">{{cite news | date=16 August 2009}}</ref> A member of ] since 1984, he was elected to the Revolutionary Council for the ] party in 2009.<ref name=BBCaug09/><ref name="Beaumont">{{cite news
|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/23/uri-davis-interview-israel-fatah-palestine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/23/uri-davis-interview-israel-fatah-palestine
|title=Why Israeli Jew Uri Davis joined Fatah to save Palestine: The first Jewish member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah talks about a unique political journey |title=Why Israeli Jew Uri Davis joined Fatah to save Palestine: The first Jewish member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah talks about a unique political journey
|publisher=Guardian (UK) |publisher=Guardian (UK)
Line 12: Line 48:
|last=Beaumont |last=Beaumont
|date=2009-08-23 |date=2009-08-23
| location=London}}</ref><ref name="Beaumont"/><ref name=APg>{{cite web | location=London}}</ref><ref name=APg>{{cite web
|title=Fatah elects first Israeli Jew to governing body |title=Fatah elects first Israeli Jew to governing body
|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iHCMlnODR2vmOprR_mcXslTGa4RA|date=August 15, 2009 |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iHCMlnODR2vmOprR_mcXslTGa4RA|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130126111311/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iHCMlnODR2vmOprR_mcXslTGa4RA|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 26, 2013|date=August 15, 2009
|accessdate=2009-08-16 |access-date=2009-08-16
|author=Associated Press |agency=Associated Press
|publisher=Google News}}</ref> }}</ref>


==Background and education== ==Background and education==
Born to Jewish parents in Jerusalem, Davis describes himself as a Palestinian Hebrew.<ref name=PeaceNews>{{Cite journal Uri Davis was born in ] and grew up in and was educated in ]. His parents were Jewish immigrants who had come to ] during the ]. His mother Blanka was from ] and his father Joseph was from the ]. Davis describes himself as a Palestinian Hebrew.<ref name=PeaceNews>{{Cite journal
| last =Davis |last = Davis
| first = Uri |first = Uri
| title =Apartheid Israel: a critical reading of the Geneva Accords |title = Apartheid Israel: a critical reading of the Geneva Accords
| journal =] |journal = ]
| issue = 2454 |issue = 2454
| date = March - May |date = March–May 2004
|url = http://www.peacenews.info/issues/2454/245415.html
| year = 2004
|quote = Uri Davis, though registered as a 'Jew' on his Israeli ID card, is an atheist, and hence reluctant to define himself as a 'Jew' (except in the tribal sense of the term). He suggests he is referred to as 'an anti-Zionist Palestinian Hebrew, born in Jerusalem in 1943, and a dual citizen of the State of Israel and the UK'.
| url =http://www.peacenews.info/issues/2454/245415.html
|access-date = 2008-07-13
| quote=Uri Davis, though registered as a 'Jew' on his Israeli ID card, is an atheist, and hence reluctant to define himself as a 'Jew' (except in the tribal sense of the term). He suggests he is referred to as 'an anti-Zionist Palestinian Hebrew, born in Jerusalem in 1943, and a dual citizen of the State of Israel and the UK'.
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080723091624/http://www.peacenews.info/issues/2454/245415.html
| postscript =<!--None-->}}</ref> He was educated in ]. During the 1961-1963 period he did alternative civilian service on ]. Subsequently he received a BA in Philosophy and Arabic from the ] (1968), a Masters in Philosophy from the same institution (1970) and from ], ] a MA in Anthropology (1973) and a PhD in Anthropology (1976).<ref> Retrieved: 22 August 2009.</ref><ref> Retrieved: 22 August 2009.</ref>
|archive-date = 2008-07-23
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> During the 1961–1963 period he worked on ] as an alternative form of national service to military conscription. Subsequently, he received a BA in Philosophy and Arabic from the ] (1968), a Masters in Philosophy from the same institution (1970) and from ], ] an MA in Anthropology (1973) and a PhD in Anthropology (1976).<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205182443/http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/authors.php?auid=1 |date=2008-12-05 }} Retrieved: 22 August 2009.</ref><ref> Retrieved: 22 August 2009.</ref>


==Career== ==Career==
Davis is an honorary research fellow at the ]'s Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (IMEIS) and at the ]'s ] (IAIS). He currently divides his residence between the predominantly Arab city of ] in northern Israel and the mixed city of ] in central Israel.<ref name="Zmag"/> Davis was appointed to a position in the ]'s ] by Professor ] soon after the Department's founding in 1973.<ref name=mckinlay>{{cite book|first=Robert A.|last=McKinlay|chapter=From Harvard to Bradford|page=66|title=Peacemaking in a Troubled World|url=https://archive.org/details/peacemakingintro00wood/|editor-first=Tom|editor-last=Woodhouse|publisher=Berg|year=1991|isbn=9780854965946 }}</ref> He is an honorary research fellow at the ]'s Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (IMEIS){{Dubious |Academic affiliations not supported|date=January 2020}} and at the ]'s ] (IAIS){{Dubious |Academic affiliations not supported|date=January 2020}}. He currently divides his residence between the predominantly Arab city of ] in northern Israel and the mixed city of ] in central Israel.<ref name="Zmag"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103123838/http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=6257|date=2007-11-03}}, accessed June 12, 2006</ref> In 2009, Uri Davis was appointed to teach a course at the Palestinian Al-Quds university on critical Israeli studies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/23/uri-davis-interview-israel-fatah-palestine|title=Why Israeli Jew Uri Davis joined Fatah to save Palestine|author=Peter Beaumont|work=The Guardian|date=22 August 2009 }}</ref>


===Apartheid Comparisons=== ===Apartheid comparisons===
{{seealso|Israel and the apartheid analogy}} {{see also|Israeli apartheid}}
Davis wrote a series of books and articles that classify the State of Israel as an apartheid state, alleging that Israel's policies towards Palestinians, including Palestinian citizens of Israel, are comparable to South Africa's ]: ''Israel: An Apartheid State'' (1987), ''Apartheid Israel: A Critical Reading of the Draft Permanent Agreement, known as the "Geneva Accords"'' (2003),<ref name="OneDemoState"></ref> and ''Apartheid Israel: Possibilities for the Struggle Within'' (2003). Davis wrote a series of books and articles that classify the State of Israel as an apartheid state, alleging that Israel's policies towards Palestinians, including Palestinian citizens of Israel, are comparable to South Africa's ]: ''Israel: An Apartheid State'' (1987), ''Apartheid Israel: A Critical Reading of the Draft Permanent Agreement, known as the "Geneva Accords"'' (2003),<ref name="OneDemoState"></ref> and ''Apartheid Israel: Possibilities for the Struggle Within'' (2003).


In an interview to ] in 2002 Davis said: "I am an anti-militarist and recognise the right to use force in certain instances, in armed resistance, which is legal in international law. It allows armed resistance, the targeting of the opposite party in uniform."<ref> Retrieved: 22 August 2009.</ref> In an interview to ] in 2002 Davis said: "I am an anti-militarist and recognise the right to use force in certain instances, in armed resistance, which is legal in international law. It allows armed resistance, the targeting of the opposite party in uniform."<ref> Retrieved: 22 August 2009.</ref>


===Activism=== ===Activism===
He is a founding member of '']'' (]) and of ] ],<ref name="OneDemoState"/> and a former member of the ''Executive Committee of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding'' (CAABU) and of the Editorial Board of ''RETURN magazine.''<ref name="AH">, ], accessed June 12, 2006</ref> He is a founding member of '']'' (]) and of ] ],<ref name="OneDemoState"/> and a former member of the ''Executive Committee of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding'' (CAABU) and of the Editorial Board of ''RETURN magazine.''.<ref name="AH">, ], accessed June 12, 2006</ref> A member of ], an organization working to promote democratization, equality and access to higher education for all communities living in Israel.


===Revolutionary Council Election=== ===Revolutionary Council election===
Until 2009 Davis was Observer Member of the ].<ref name="OneDemoState"/> Until 2009 Davis was Observer Member of the ].<ref name="OneDemoState"/>
In 2009, Davis was successful in his bid for a seat on Fatah's ], a legislative body of the Movement, placing 31st from among more than 600 candidates running for position in the 128-member body. He is the first Jew to be elected to such a high-ranking position.,<ref name="Haaretz"></ref> In 2009, Davis was successful in his bid for a seat on Fatah's Revolutionary Council, a legislative body of the Movement, placing 31st from among more than 600 candidates running for position in the 128-member body. He is the first person of Jewish origin to be elected to such a high-ranking position.<ref name="Haaretz">{{cite web|url=http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1107668.html|title=Jerusalem-born Jew Elected to Fatah Revolutionary Council|work=Haaretz.com|access-date=2009-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817212207/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1107668.html|archive-date=2009-08-17|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was re-elected in 2016, taking the 29th place.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fatah Congress elects Central Committee and Revolutionary Council members|url=http://english.wafa.ps/page.aspx?id=hWTZzja51779170212ahWTZzj|access-date=17 December 2016|publisher=WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency|date=5 December 2016}}</ref>


==2008 marriage and conversion to Islam== ==2008 marriage and conversion to Islam==
Davis met Miyassar Abu Ali, a Palestinian, in Ramallah in 2006. They signed their Certificate of Marriage ('Aqd al-Zawaj) there in 2008, after Davis converted to Islam at their marriage.<ref>http://www.uridavis.info/bio_and_cv.htm</ref><ref>http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/777/478.html</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/xinhua-news-agency-ceis/mi_8007/is_20090815/jew-elected-fatah-revolutionary-council/ai_n42008354/?tag=content;col1 |title=First ever Jew elected into Fatah revolutionary council |author=Xinhua News Agency |date=15 August 2009 |work= |publisher= |accessdate=4 August 2010}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref> Davis met Miyassar Abu Ali, a Palestinian, in Ramallah in 2006. They signed their Certificate of Marriage ('Aqd al-Zawaj) there in 2008, after Davis converted to Islam at their marriage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uridavis-official-website.info|title=Uri Davis - Against Israeli Apartheid - for Freedom and Justice in Palestine ...|work=uridavis-official-website.info}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/777/478.html|title=חדשות - פוליטי/מדיני nrg - ...ישראלי שהתאסלם בין מארגני|work=nrg.co.il}}</ref>

==Selected bibliography== ==Selected bibliography==
* ''Dissent & Ideology in Israel: Resistance to the Draft 1948-1973'' (as co-editor, with Martin Blatt and Paul Kleinbaum) (1975) ISBN 0-903729-07-5 * ''Dissent & Ideology in Israel: Resistance to the Draft 1948-1973'' (as co-editor, with Martin Blatt and Paul Kleinbaum) (1975) {{ISBN|0-903729-07-5}}
* ''Documents from Israel, 1967-73: Readings for a Critique of Zionism'' (as co-editor, with Norton Mezvinsky) (1975) ISBN 0-903729-09-1 * ''Documents from Israel, 1967-73: Readings for a Critique of Zionism'' (as co-editor, with Norton Mezvinsky) (1975) {{ISBN|0-903729-09-1}}
* ''Israel & the Palestinians'' (as co-editor, with Andrew Mack and Nira Yuval-Davis) (1975) ISBN 0-903729-13-X * ''Israel & the Palestinians'' (as co-editor, with Andrew Mack and Nira Yuval-Davis) (1975) {{ISBN|0-903729-13-X}}
* ''Israel: Utopia Incorporated - A Study of Class, State and Corporate Kin Control'' (1977) ISBN 0-905762-12-6 * ''Israel: Utopia Incorporated - A Study of Class, State and Corporate Kin Control'' (1977) {{ISBN|0-905762-12-6}}
*]: The Destiny of an Arab Village in Galilee, in ''Palestinian Arabs in Israel: Two Case Studies'', Ithaca Press, London 1977, (as co-editor, with Hasan Amun, and Nasr Dakhlallah San´Allah) ISBN 0-903729-32-6 * Deir al-Asad: The Destiny of an Arab Village in Galilee, in ''Palestinian Arabs in Israel: Two Case Studies'', Ithaca Press, London 1977, (as co-editor, with Hasan Amun, and Nasr Dakhlallah San´Allah) {{ISBN|0-903729-32-6}}
* ''Towards a Socialist Republic of Palestine'' (as co-editor, with Fouzi el-Asmar and Naim Khader) (1978) ISBN 0-903729-30-X * ''Towards a Socialist Republic of Palestine'' (as co-editor, with ] and ]) (1978) {{ISBN|0-903729-30-X}}<ref name=jama>{{cite journal|author=James A. Reilly|title=Book review|journal=Journal of Palestine Studies|volume=12|issue=2|date=Winter 1983 |jstor=2536418|doi=10.2307/2536418|pages=80–83}}</ref>
* ''Debate on Palestine'' (as co-editor, with Fouzi el-Asmar and Naim Khader) (1981) ISBN 0-903729-64-4 * ''Debate on Palestine'' (as co-editor, with Fouzi El Asmar and Naim Khader) (1981) {{ISBN|0-903729-64-4}}<ref name=jama/>
* ''Israel: An Apartheid State'' (1987) ISBN 0-86232-317-7 * ''Israel: An Apartheid State'' (1987) {{ISBN|0-86232-317-7}}
* ''The Jewish National Fund'' (with Walter Lehn) (1988) ISBN 0-7103-0053-0 * ''The Jewish National Fund'' (with Walter Lehn) (1988) {{ISBN|0-7103-0053-0}}
* ''The State of Palestine (Jerusalem Study Series)'' (1991) ISBN 0-86372-135-4 * ''The State of Palestine (Jerusalem Study Series)'' (1991) {{ISBN|0-86372-135-4}}
* ''Crossing the Border: an autobiography of an Anti-Zionist Palestinian Jew'' (1995) ISBN 1-86102-002-3 * ''Crossing the Border: an autobiography of an Anti-Zionist Palestinian Jew'' (1995) {{ISBN|1-86102-002-3}}
* ''Citizenship and the State: A Comparative Study of Citizenship Legislation in Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon'' (London, 1997) ISBN 0-86372-218-0 * ''Citizenship and the State: A Comparative Study of Citizenship Legislation in Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon'' (London, 1997) {{ISBN|0-86372-218-0}}
* ''Citizenship and the State in the Middle East: Approaches and Applications'' (as co-editor) (Syracuse, New York, 2000) ISBN 0-8156-2829-3 * ''Citizenship and the State in the Middle East: Approaches and Applications'' (as co-editor) (Syracuse, New York, 2000) {{ISBN|0-8156-2829-3}}
* ''Apartheid Israel: Possibilities for the Struggle Within'' (2004) ISBN 1-84277-339-9 * ''Apartheid Israel: Possibilities for the Struggle Within'' (2004) {{ISBN|1-84277-339-9}}


==See also== ==See also==
*] *]
*] *]
*]


==References== ==References==
Line 75: Line 114:


==External links== ==External links==
* *
* * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111055757/http://www.maiap.org/ |date=2014-11-11 }}


;Articles, selected ;Articles, selected
* 10 February 1972, ], * 10 February 1972, ],
* March 1990, Return *{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041026213314/http://www.aldeilis.net/zion/zionhol09.html |date=October 26, 2004 |title=Transfer and the Lessons of the Holocaust }} March 1990, Return
*, in ] (ASQ), Winter, 1996 *, in ] (ASQ), Winter, 1996
*, October 2001 (about ]) * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929222806/http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/articles/UriDavis-JustAnOrdinarySakhninDay.html |date=2011-09-29 }}, October 2001 (about ])
*, 11 April 2002, * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609233721/http://oznik.com/words/020411.html |date=2007-06-09 }}, 11 April 2002,
* issue 2446 March–June 2002, Peace News, * issue 2446 March–June 2002, Peace News,
* issue 93, 4 June 2002 Information Brief, *{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107111716/http://www.palestinecenter.org/cpap/pubs/20020604ib.html |date=January 7, 2008 |title=The Movement against Israeli Apartheid in Palestine }} issue 93, 4 June 2002 Information Brief,
* issue 655 11 September 2003, Al-Ahram Weekly, <!--alternative link: http://web.archive.org/web/20041204175702/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/655/letters.htm--> * issue 655 11 September 2003, Al-Ahram Weekly, <!--alternative link: https://web.archive.org/web/20041204175702/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/655/letters.htm-->
*, 6 December 2003 * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929222821/http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/articles/article0004976.txt |date=2011-09-29 }}, 6 December 2003
*, June 2004 (about ]) * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929222851/http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/articles/jnfUK/jnf.html |date=2011-09-29 }}, June 2004 (about ])
*, 28 January 2005 * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929222909/http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/articles/article0013567.txt |date=2011-09-29 }}, 28 January 2005
* 30 May 2005 * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110112147/http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/articles/article0021174.txt |date=2007-01-10 }} 30 May 2005


;Interview ;Interview
*, by Uri Davis and Jon Elmer; FromOccupiedPalestine.org; September 19, 2004 *{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929134931/http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=6257+&sectionID=22 |date=September 29, 2007 |title=Apartheid Israel }}, by Uri Davis and Jon Elmer; FromOccupiedPalestine.org; September 19, 2004
*{{Cite news *{{Cite news
| last = Beaumont | last = Beaumont
Line 99: Line 138:
| title = Why Israeli Jew Uri Davis joined Fatah to save Palestine | title = Why Israeli Jew Uri Davis joined Fatah to save Palestine
| work = The Guardian | work = The Guardian
| accessdate = 2009-08-26 | access-date = 2009-08-26
| date = 2009-08-23 | date = 2009-08-23
| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/23/uri-davis-interview-israel-fatah-palestine | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/23/uri-davis-interview-israel-fatah-palestine
| location=London | location=London
}} }}


{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ] -->

| NAME =Davis, Uri
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Uri}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Uri}}
] ]
]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
] ]
]
]
]
]
]
]

]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 06:13, 21 December 2024

Israeli activist
Uriel "Uri" Davis
Vice-Chairman of the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights
Lecturer in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford
Member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
2009
Personal details
BornJerusalem, Mandatory Palestine
NationalityPalestinian
Political partyFatah
SpouseMiyassar Abu Ali
Residence(s)Sakhnin, Ramle
Alma materHebrew University of Jerusalem, The New School for Social Research
OccupationAcademic, civil rights activist
Interview with Uri Davis

Uriel "Uri" Davis (Hebrew: אוריאל "אורי" דייוויס Arabic: أوري ديفيس, born 8 June 1943 in Jerusalem) is an academic and civil rights activist. Davis has served as Vice-Chairman of the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights and as lecturer in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford. Davis describes himself as "a Palestinian Hebrew national of Jewish origin, anti-Zionist, registered as Muslim and a citizen of an apartheid state - the State of Israel." A member of Fatah since 1984, he was elected to the Revolutionary Council for the Palestinian party in 2009.

Background and education

Uri Davis was born in Jerusalem and grew up in and was educated in Kfar Shmaryahu. His parents were Jewish immigrants who had come to Mandatory Palestine during the Fifth Aliyah. His mother Blanka was from Czechoslovakia and his father Joseph was from the United Kingdom. Davis describes himself as a Palestinian Hebrew. During the 1961–1963 period he worked on Kibbutz Erez as an alternative form of national service to military conscription. Subsequently, he received a BA in Philosophy and Arabic from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1968), a Masters in Philosophy from the same institution (1970) and from The New School for Social Research, New York City an MA in Anthropology (1973) and a PhD in Anthropology (1976).

Career

Davis was appointed to a position in the University of Bradford's Department of Peace Studies by Professor Adam Curle soon after the Department's founding in 1973. He is an honorary research fellow at the University of Durham's Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (IMEIS) and at the University of Exeter's Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS). He currently divides his residence between the predominantly Arab city of Sakhnin in northern Israel and the mixed city of Ramle in central Israel. In 2009, Uri Davis was appointed to teach a course at the Palestinian Al-Quds university on critical Israeli studies.

Apartheid comparisons

See also: Israeli apartheid

Davis wrote a series of books and articles that classify the State of Israel as an apartheid state, alleging that Israel's policies towards Palestinians, including Palestinian citizens of Israel, are comparable to South Africa's apartheid policies: Israel: An Apartheid State (1987), Apartheid Israel: A Critical Reading of the Draft Permanent Agreement, known as the "Geneva Accords" (2003), and Apartheid Israel: Possibilities for the Struggle Within (2003).

In an interview to Irish Times in 2002 Davis said: "I am an anti-militarist and recognise the right to use force in certain instances, in armed resistance, which is legal in international law. It allows armed resistance, the targeting of the opposite party in uniform."

Activism

He is a founding member of The Movement Against Israeli Apartheid in Palestine (MAIAP) and of Al-Beit The Association for the Defense of Human Rights in Israel, and a former member of the Executive Committee of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) and of the Editorial Board of RETURN magazine.. A member of Academia for Equality, an organization working to promote democratization, equality and access to higher education for all communities living in Israel.

Revolutionary Council election

Until 2009 Davis was Observer Member of the Palestine National Council. In 2009, Davis was successful in his bid for a seat on Fatah's Revolutionary Council, a legislative body of the Movement, placing 31st from among more than 600 candidates running for position in the 128-member body. He is the first person of Jewish origin to be elected to such a high-ranking position. He was re-elected in 2016, taking the 29th place.

2008 marriage and conversion to Islam

Davis met Miyassar Abu Ali, a Palestinian, in Ramallah in 2006. They signed their Certificate of Marriage ('Aqd al-Zawaj) there in 2008, after Davis converted to Islam at their marriage.

Selected bibliography

  • Dissent & Ideology in Israel: Resistance to the Draft 1948-1973 (as co-editor, with Martin Blatt and Paul Kleinbaum) (1975) ISBN 0-903729-07-5
  • Documents from Israel, 1967-73: Readings for a Critique of Zionism (as co-editor, with Norton Mezvinsky) (1975) ISBN 0-903729-09-1
  • Israel & the Palestinians (as co-editor, with Andrew Mack and Nira Yuval-Davis) (1975) ISBN 0-903729-13-X
  • Israel: Utopia Incorporated - A Study of Class, State and Corporate Kin Control (1977) ISBN 0-905762-12-6
  • Deir al-Asad: The Destiny of an Arab Village in Galilee, in Palestinian Arabs in Israel: Two Case Studies, Ithaca Press, London 1977, (as co-editor, with Hasan Amun, and Nasr Dakhlallah San´Allah) ISBN 0-903729-32-6
  • Towards a Socialist Republic of Palestine (as co-editor, with Fouzi El Asmar and Naim Khader) (1978) ISBN 0-903729-30-X
  • Debate on Palestine (as co-editor, with Fouzi El Asmar and Naim Khader) (1981) ISBN 0-903729-64-4
  • Israel: An Apartheid State (1987) ISBN 0-86232-317-7
  • The Jewish National Fund (with Walter Lehn) (1988) ISBN 0-7103-0053-0
  • The State of Palestine (Jerusalem Study Series) (1991) ISBN 0-86372-135-4
  • Crossing the Border: an autobiography of an Anti-Zionist Palestinian Jew (1995) ISBN 1-86102-002-3
  • Citizenship and the State: A Comparative Study of Citizenship Legislation in Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon (London, 1997) ISBN 0-86372-218-0
  • Citizenship and the State in the Middle East: Approaches and Applications (as co-editor) (Syracuse, New York, 2000) ISBN 0-8156-2829-3
  • Apartheid Israel: Possibilities for the Struggle Within (2004) ISBN 1-84277-339-9

See also

References

  1. ^ BBC News (16 August 2009). "Israeli wins Fatah top body seat". BBC. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  2. Beaumont, Peter (2009-08-23). "Why Israeli Jew Uri Davis joined Fatah to save Palestine: The first Jewish member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah talks about a unique political journey". London: Guardian (UK).
  3. "Fatah elects first Israeli Jew to governing body". Associated Press. August 15, 2009. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  4. Davis, Uri (March–May 2004). "Apartheid Israel: a critical reading of the Geneva Accords". Peace News (2454). Archived from the original on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-07-13. Uri Davis, though registered as a 'Jew' on his Israeli ID card, is an atheist, and hence reluctant to define himself as a 'Jew' (except in the tribal sense of the term). He suggests he is referred to as 'an anti-Zionist Palestinian Hebrew, born in Jerusalem in 1943, and a dual citizen of the State of Israel and the UK'.
  5. Palestine: Information with Provenance (PIWP database). Uri Davis biography. Archived 2008-12-05 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved: 22 August 2009.
  6. Uri Davis Collection. Retrieved: 22 August 2009.
  7. McKinlay, Robert A. (1991). "From Harvard to Bradford". In Woodhouse, Tom (ed.). Peacemaking in a Troubled World. Berg. p. 66. ISBN 9780854965946.
  8. ZMag Bio: Uri Davis Archived 2007-11-03 at the Wayback Machine, accessed June 12, 2006
  9. Peter Beaumont (22 August 2009). "Why Israeli Jew Uri Davis joined Fatah to save Palestine". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Uri Davis bio on OneDemocraticState.org
  11. Davis's interview to Irish Times on 2 December 2002. Retrieved: 22 August 2009.
  12. Uri Davis Collection, Archives Hub, accessed June 12, 2006
  13. "Jerusalem-born Jew Elected to Fatah Revolutionary Council". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-17. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  14. "Fatah Congress elects Central Committee and Revolutionary Council members". WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  15. "Uri Davis - Against Israeli Apartheid - for Freedom and Justice in Palestine ..." uridavis-official-website.info.
  16. "חדשות - פוליטי/מדיני nrg - ...ישראלי שהתאסלם בין מארגני". nrg.co.il.
  17. ^ James A. Reilly (Winter 1983). "Book review". Journal of Palestine Studies. 12 (2): 80–83. doi:10.2307/2536418. JSTOR 2536418.

External links

Articles, selected
Interview
Categories: