Uri Davis
Encyclopedia
Uriel "Uri" Davis is an academic and activist who works on civil rights in Israel
, Palestinian National Authority and the Middle East
. 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, who converted to Islam
in 2008, 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.
. During the 1961-1963 period he did alternative civilian service on Kibbutz Erez. 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
a MA in Anthropology (1973) and a PhD in Anthropology (1976).
'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.
: 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."
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 Jew to be elected to such a high-ranking position.
Articles, selected
Interview
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Palestinian National Authority and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Davis has served as Vice-Chairman of the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights
Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights
From 1970 this human rights group was chaired by Israel Shahak. It was briefly a member of the International League for Human Rights but was suspended in 1973. This was related to the organisation's 1972 AGM, on 16 November, which was broken up by some 200 members of the Young Israeli Labour Party ...
and as lecturer in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
. Davis, who converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in 2008, describes himself as "a Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Hebrew national of Jewish origin, anti-Zionist
Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionistic views or opposition to the state of Israel. The term is used to describe various religious, moral and political points of view in opposition to these, but their diversity of motivation and expression is sufficiently different that "anti-Zionism" cannot be...
, registered as Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and a citizen of an apartheid state - the State of Israel." A member of Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
since 1984, he was elected to the Revolutionary Council for the Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
party in 2009.
Background and education
Born to Jewish parents in Jerusalem, Davis describes himself as a Palestinian Hebrew. He was educated in Kfar ShmaryahuKfar Shmaryahu
Kfar Shmaryahu is a local council in Israel, within the Tel Aviv District. The council was founded in 1937, during the Fifth Aliyah to Israel.Kfar Shmaryahu is ranked very highly on the Israeli socio-economic scale...
. During the 1961-1963 period he did alternative civilian service on Kibbutz Erez. Subsequently he received a BA in Philosophy and Arabic from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
(1968), a Masters in Philosophy from the same institution (1970) and from The New School for Social Research, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
a MA in Anthropology (1973) and a PhD in Anthropology (1976).
Career
Davis is an honorary research fellow at the University of Durham's Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (IMEIS) and at the University of ExeterUniversity of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
's Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS). He currently divides his residence between the predominantly Arab city of Sakhnin
Sakhnin
Sakhnin is a city in Israel's North District. It is located in the Lower Galilee, about east of Acre. Sakhnin was declared a city in 1995. Its population of 25,100 is Arab, mostly Muslim with a sizable Christian minority. It is located on the site of the ancient Jewish town Sikhnin, which...
in northern Israel and the mixed city of Ramle in central Israel.
Apartheid Comparisons
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 policiesHistory of South Africa in the apartheid era
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced by the National Party governments of South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority 'non-white' inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and white supremacy and Afrikaner minority rule was maintained...
: 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.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
Revolutionary Council
Revolutionary Council may refer to:* Council of Islamic Revolution, a group of clerics and experts who chose by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 to manage Islamic revolution of Iran and then legislate for the Interim Government of Iran...
, 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.
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
External links
Articles, selected
- An Exchange on Israel and the Palestinians 10 February 1972, New York Review of Books,
- Transfer and the Lessons of the Holocaust March 1990, Return
- Citizenship legislation in the Syrian Arab Republic, in Arab Studies QuarterlyArab Studies QuarterlyArab Studies Quarterly is an English-language academic journal devoted to Arabist studies. It was established in 1979 by the late Professors Edward Said and Ibrahim Abu-Lughod. They envisioned the journal to be a platform for academic research to counter anti-Arab propaganda veiled by academic...
(ASQ), Winter, 1996 - Just an ordinary Sakhnin day, October 2001 (about SakhninSakhninSakhnin is a city in Israel's North District. It is located in the Lower Galilee, about east of Acre. Sakhnin was declared a city in 1995. Its population of 25,100 is Arab, mostly Muslim with a sizable Christian minority. It is located on the site of the ancient Jewish town Sikhnin, which...
) - Jews! Stand Up and Be Counted!, 11 April 2002,
- Martin Buber's Paths in Utopia The Kibbutz: an experiment that didn't fail? issue 2446 March–June 2002, Peace News,
- The Movement against Israeli Apartheid in Palestine issue 93, 4 June 2002 Information Brief,
- Apartheid Israel issue 655 11 September 2003, Al-Ahram Weekly,
- Apartheid Israel: A Critical Reading of the Draft Permanent Agreement, known as the 'Geneva Accords', 6 December 2003
- Research Report on the Subject of the British Park funded by the Jewish National Fund UK (First draft), June 2004 (about AjjurAjjurAjjur was a Palestinian Arab village of over 3,700 inhabitants located 24 kilometers northwest of Hebron. It was captured by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, during which all of its inhabitants fled or were expelled...
) - Regarding the Gush Shalom statement on the Jewish National Fund, 28 January 2005
- Rejoinder to David Newman and Benjamin Pogrund 30 May 2005
Interview
- Apartheid Israel, by Uri Davis and Jon Elmer; FromOccupiedPalestine.org; September 19, 2004