Henry Cattan was a renowned international jurist and writer.

Cattan, son of Naklih Cattan, was born in what is now West Jerusalem. He was educated at the University of Paris

University of Paris

The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...

 and the University of London

University of London

-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

. After qualifying as a barrister, he lectured at the Jerusalem Law School from 1932 to 1942, practised law in Palestine and Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

, and was a member of the Palestine Law Council until 1948.

He testified before the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Palestine in 1946. He was a member of the delegation which represented the Arab Higher Committee

Arab Higher Committee

The Arab Higher Committee was the central political organ of the Arab community of Mandate Palestine. It was established on 25 April 1936, on the initiative of Hajj Amin al-Husayni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, and comprised the leaders of Palestinian Arab clans under the mufti's...

 before the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 General Assembly in 1947 and 1948. Other people nominated for this delegation were Rajai Husseini, Emil Ghoury, Wasef Kamal, Issa Nakhleh and Rasem Khalidi.

Cattan's books include
Palestine, the Arabs, and Israel (1969); The Palestine Question (1988); Palestine: The Road to Peace; and Palestine and International Law.