Adi Bitar
Encyclopedia
Nasib Al Bitar
Judge Shaikh Nasib Al Bitar was a Palestinian jurist, born in the city of Nablus in Palestine on June 13, 1890 as the second son of Al Sayyed Said Al Bitar Al Husseini.- Education :...
(1924–1973) was a judge, a legal advisor and lawyer who worked all over 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...
. He was the author of the constitution of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
Early years
Adi was born in Jerusalem on December 7, 1924. His father, Sheikh Nasib Al BitarNasib Al Bitar
Judge Shaikh Nasib Al Bitar was a Palestinian jurist, born in the city of Nablus in Palestine on June 13, 1890 as the second son of Al Sayyed Said Al Bitar Al Husseini.- Education :...
’s continuous relocation around Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
forced him to enroll at the Terra Sancta School in Jerusalem as a boarder. He graduated school with honors.
King David Hotel bombing
To help pay for his college fees Bitar worked as a clerk at the Chief Secretary's office in Jerusalem . The British had chosen the King David HotelKing David Hotel
The King David Hotel is a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem, Israel. Opened in 1931, the hotel was built with locally quarried pink limestone and was founded by Ezra Mosseri, a wealthy Egyptian Jewish Banker. To this day the hotel remains one of the most prominent and prestigious hotels in Israel, and...
as their headquarters in a secure zone, thus requiring a pass to enter. On July 22, 1946, the King David Hotel was bombed
King David Hotel bombing
The King David Hotel bombing was an attack carried out by themilitant right-wing Zionist underground organization Irgun on the King David Hotel in Jerusalem on 22 July 1946...
by members of Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
— a militant Zionist organization. Adi was in the building when the bomb exploded and was saved only because his elder brother Bahij; who also worked there, insisted that Adi was buried alive under the rubble. It took two hours to reach him and he was found alive with two broken arms and two broken ribs and with many bruises all over his face and body. It took several weeks for his injuries to heal.
Jerusalem
He then was accepted by the Jerusalem Law Classes. These were established by the British mandate as a college of law to create a workforce of lawyers who understood the new laws that were being implemented in the region, replacing the existing Ottoman Laws. He graduated on April 26, 1948 and was registered as a lawyer on June 16, 1949.He joined the district attorney's
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
office in Jerusalem until his resignation August 18, 1956 to work in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
as a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
. During his time with the district attorney's office, Adi took part in the initial hearings of the murder of King Abdullah I
Abdullah I of Jordan
Abdullah I bin al-Hussein, King of Jordan [‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Husayn] عبد الله الأول بن الحسين born in Mecca, Second Saudi State, was the second of three sons of Sherif Hussein bin Ali, Sharif and Emir of Mecca and his first wife Abdiyya bint Abdullah...
of Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
that occurred on July 20, 1951 in Jerusalem.
Sudan
Blue Nile
The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. With the White Nile, the river is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile...
District Judge in Sudan at Wad Medani, first as a deputy, and then with a full appointment a year later.
. In late 1959 he returned to Jerusalem where he established his own law firm.
Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. There he established the first Civil Laws and the Civil Courts and was appointed as Chief Justice. He helped establish the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and many other projects.
The Trucial States
Bitar was appointed as the Secretary General to the Trucial States Council in 1967, and served until it closed in 1971 when the federation was created and the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
emerged as a new Arab State.
The United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
National Day. The Emirate of Ras Al Khaima joined a few months later.
UAE & Jordan
Adi helped build good relations between UAE and JordanJordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. He managed to create strong relations between Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum
Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum
HH The Emir Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum was the Vice-President and Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates and Emir of Dubai...
and King Hussein Bin Talal
Hussein of Jordan
Hussein bin Talal was the third King of Jordan from the abdication of his father, King Talal, in 1952, until his death. Hussein's rule extended through the Cold War and four decades of Arab-Israeli conflict...
of Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
.
He received two medals from the Jordanian monarch.
Death
Two years after the formation of the UAE he died of colon cancer, and was buried in Dubai on March 4, 1973. Adi was buried next to his 10-year-old son Issa who had died three months earlier of leukemiaLeukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
.