Rashid al-Haj Ibrahim
Encyclopedia
Rashid al-Haj Ibrahim (1889–1953) was a Palestinian Arab
banker and a leader of the Independence Party of Palestine
(al-Istiqlal). He was one of the most influential Arab leaders of Haifa in the first half of the 20th-century and played a leading role in both the 1936 Arab revolt and the 1948 Battle of Haifa.
in 1889 (some sources say he was born in 1891) while Palestine
was a part of the Ottoman Empire
to a middle-class mercantile family, al-Hajj Ibrahim. The al-Haj Ibrahim clan immigrated to Palestine from western North Africa
and had a military past. They gained a reputation in trade and commerce and held considerable influence in Haifa. Rashid was mostly self-educated, but he enrolled in Haifa's government-run secondary school and the Alliance Israelite School. He learned the Turkish language
in addition to Arabic
and initially worked in a public debt department, heading the city's trade office in 1913.
After World War I
, when the British
wrested control of Palestine from the Ottomans and established the British Mandate in 1922, al-Haj Ibrahim worked both in commerce and journalism in Haifa. He led the city's Islamic Society, a charitable religious organization, in 1927, and the local Young Men's Muslim Association (YMMA). In order to compete with Jewish labor groups
, by August 1928, al-Haj Ibrahim was charged with registering Arab laborers and tradesmen to work for employers in government-run building projects, particularly the port expansion scheme in Haifa.
On August 23, 1930, Arab nationalist organizations met in Nablus
—which was holding a general strike protesting what Arabs perceived as pro-Zionist British policy in Palestine—and elected a committee to help arm the Arab villages near Jewish settlements. Al-Haj Ibrahim was tasked to collect funds to purchase weapons. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
and head of the Supreme Muslim Council
, Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
, requested that al-Haj Ibrahim help persuade Arab youth groups to pray at the Western Wall
in order to secure the site as an Islam
ic holy place, but al-Haj Ibrahim preferred to focus on condemning Italian
atrocities in Libya
and the British Mandate decision to draft Zionist youth into the army. He also promoted the "Southern Syria" orientation for Palestine entailing that Palestine was the southern province of Syria. This differed with al-Husayni's Palestinian nationalist tendencies. In 1931, he established the Haifa branch of the Arab Bank
. The salary he earned from managing the bank was supplemented slightly by the income generated from agricultural land he owned west of the city.
—which promoted Arab nationalism
and had counterparts in Syria
and Iraq
—along with Izzat Darwaza
and Awni Abd al-Hadi
when it was founded in 1932. The party held a congress in Acre
in 1932 which al-Haj Ibrahim presided over. He was designated the leader of the party's branch in Haifa. In late 1932, he resigned from his position in the Haifa Islamic Society. According to the Filastin
newspaper, he did so in protest of the sacking of Sheikh Kamil al-Qassab as the society's director of schools. It was also speculated al-Hajj Ibrahim quit because of the society's dominance by al-Husayni who was reportedly aiming to undermine the al-Istiqlal party because of its rising popularity. However, he remained intensely involved in Haifa's YMMA whose leadership was interwined with that of the Islamic Society. Under his leadership, Haifa became an al-Istiqlal stronghold. In line with the party's policy to expand the Arabic public sphere, al-Haj Ibrahim became one of many investors to form an Arabic film company that would open cinemas in Jerusalem, Jaffa
, Haifa, and Amman
in 1934.
Starting in the late 1920s, al-Haj Ibrahim became a close associate of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, a religious leader from Syria
who led paramilitary activities against the British military and Jewish settlers in Palestine. Because al-Qassam was frequently detained by the British authorities, al-Haj Ibrahim appealed to him several times to moderate his position; he would frequently persuade the British authorities not to arrest al-Qassam. In 1935, al-Qassam was killed by British forces in an assault near Jenin
, an action that would provoke the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine in which al-Haj Ibrahim was a chief activist.
Due to his role in the uprising, he was exiled to the Seychelles
in 1936. Following a conference in London
in 1939, al-Haj Ibrahim was among the Palestinian notables invited by Muhammad Mahmoud Pasha
, the Prime Minister of Egypt
, to discuss and modify the British White Paper
—which called for a united Palestine led by both Palestinian Arabs and Jews in proportion to their population ratio. Al-Haj Ibrahim returned to Palestine in February 1940. In order to further their political influence, the Istiqlalists with al-Haj Ibrahim as their leader, negotiated with Abdullah I of Jordan
to gain the support of his partisans in Palestine as a counterweight to al-Husayni's supporters.
, Syria, Lebanon
, Transjordan, Iraq
, and the Hejaz
]." According to Israel
i historian Benny Morris
, he believed that the Jews would establish a "giant" navy and air force and built atomic weapons with which to spread fear among the Arab people. Nonetheless, from the beginning of hostilities in December 1947, al-Haj Ibrahim encouraged moderation and pursued a ceasefire between the Arab and Jewish paramilitary forces, declaring the "Arabs were interested in quiet in Haifa..."
Opposition with al-Husayni's policies in the city mounted with al-Haj Ibrahim threatening to leave the city along with all of its senior politicians if al-Husayni continued to order attacks against Jewish forces there. Many senior politicians, including 11 out of the 15 NC members, had already left the city despite persuasion by al-Haj Ibrahim to remain in the city and help the Arab inhabitants face Jewish irregulars. Nonetheless, he left Palestine himself in early April 1948. He did so apparently after quarreling with the Lebanese
Druze
commander of the Arab Liberation Army
(ALA) in Haifa, Amin Izz al-Din Nabahani.
after fleeing Haifa upon its capture by Jewish forces. He wrote memoirs of his experience in Palestine from 1947 to the early 1950s. They mostly outlined the responsibility of the Palestinian leadership regarding the circumstances of the city's fall, and exposing its performance and political discourse during the British Mandate period. Al-Haj Ibrahim died in Amman in 1953, and was buried in Damascus
, Syria. Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
edited and published his memoirs, titled Defending Haifa and the Problem of Palestine: The Memoirs of Rashid al-Haj Ibrahim, 1891-1953, in the Institute for Palestine Studies
, Beirut
, in 2006.
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...
banker and a leader of the Independence Party of Palestine
Independence Party (Palestine)
The Independence Party was an Arab nationalist party established on 13 August, 1932, in Palestine during the British mandate. Its origins lay in the Istiqlal movement associated with the short-lived Sharifian government in Damascus....
(al-Istiqlal). He was one of the most influential Arab leaders of Haifa in the first half of the 20th-century and played a leading role in both the 1936 Arab revolt and the 1948 Battle of Haifa.
Early life and background
Al-Haj Ibrahim was born in HaifaHaifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
in 1889 (some sources say he was born in 1891) while 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....
was a part of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
to a middle-class mercantile family, al-Hajj Ibrahim. The al-Haj Ibrahim clan immigrated to Palestine from western North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and had a military past. They gained a reputation in trade and commerce and held considerable influence in Haifa. Rashid was mostly self-educated, but he enrolled in Haifa's government-run secondary school and the Alliance Israelite School. He learned the Turkish language
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
in addition to Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and initially worked in a public debt department, heading the city's trade office in 1913.
Leadership in Haifa and career in commerce
Al-Haj Ibrahim would later occupy a post as an official on the Haifa zone of the Hejaz Railway. He gradually became the head of his entire clan and gained considerable influence in the city; a common phrase that evolved in the area was "One cannot talk of Haifa without mentioning Rashid's name."After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
wrested control of Palestine from the Ottomans and established the British Mandate in 1922, al-Haj Ibrahim worked both in commerce and journalism in Haifa. He led the city's Islamic Society, a charitable religious organization, in 1927, and the local Young Men's Muslim Association (YMMA). In order to compete with Jewish labor groups
Histadrut
HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael , known as the Histadrut, is Israel's organization of trade unions. Established in December 1920 during the British Mandate for Palestine, it became one of the most powerful institutions of the State of Israel.-History:The Histadrut was founded in...
, by August 1928, al-Haj Ibrahim was charged with registering Arab laborers and tradesmen to work for employers in government-run building projects, particularly the port expansion scheme in Haifa.
On August 23, 1930, Arab nationalist organizations met in Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
—which was holding a general strike protesting what Arabs perceived as pro-Zionist British policy in Palestine—and elected a committee to help arm the Arab villages near Jewish settlements. Al-Haj Ibrahim was tasked to collect funds to purchase weapons. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem is the Sunni Muslim cleric in charge of Jerusalem's Islamic holy places, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque.-Ottoman era:...
and head of the Supreme Muslim Council
Supreme Muslim Council
The Supreme Muslim Council was the highest body in charge of Muslim community affairs in Mandate Palestine under British control. It was established to create an advisory body composed of Muslims and Christians with whom the High Commissioner could consult...
, Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Haj Mohammed Effendi Amin el-Husseini was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in the British Mandate of Palestine. From as early as 1920, in order to secure the independence of Palestine as an Arab state he actively opposed Zionism, and was implicated as a leader of a violent riot...
, requested that al-Haj Ibrahim help persuade Arab youth groups to pray at the Western Wall
Western Wall
The Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
in order to secure the site as an Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic holy place, but al-Haj Ibrahim preferred to focus on condemning Italian
Italian Libya
Italian Libya was a unified colony of Italian North Africa established in 1934 in what represents present-day Libya...
atrocities in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and the British Mandate decision to draft Zionist youth into the army. He also promoted the "Southern Syria" orientation for Palestine entailing that Palestine was the southern province of Syria. This differed with al-Husayni's Palestinian nationalist tendencies. In 1931, he established the Haifa branch of the Arab Bank
Arab Bank
Arab Bank is one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East. Established in Jerusalem in Palestine in 1930 as a small bank, it has evolved into a group with the largest worldwide Arab network with over 500 branches in 30 countries on five continents, participating in financial markets...
. The salary he earned from managing the bank was supplemented slightly by the income generated from agricultural land he owned west of the city.
Independence Party of Palestine
He joined the Istiqlal (Independence) PartyIndependence Party (Palestine)
The Independence Party was an Arab nationalist party established on 13 August, 1932, in Palestine during the British mandate. Its origins lay in the Istiqlal movement associated with the short-lived Sharifian government in Damascus....
—which promoted Arab nationalism
Arab nationalism
Arab nationalism is a nationalist ideology celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language and literature of the Arabs, calling for rejuvenation and political union in the Arab world...
and had counterparts in 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 Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
—along with Izzat Darwaza
Izzat Darwaza
Muhammad 'Izzat Darwaza was a Palestinian politician, historian, and educator from Nablus. Early in his career, he worked as an Ottoman bureaucrat in Palestine and Lebanon. Darwaza had long been a sympathizer of Arab nationalism and became an activist of that cause following the Arab revolt...
and Awni Abd al-Hadi
Awni Abd al-Hadi
Awni Abd al-Hadi, , was a Palestinian political figure. He was educated in Beirut, Istanbul, and at the Sorbonne University in Paris. His wife was Tarab Abd al-Hadi, a Palestinian activist and feminist....
when it was founded in 1932. The party held a congress in Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
in 1932 which al-Haj Ibrahim presided over. He was designated the leader of the party's branch in Haifa. In late 1932, he resigned from his position in the Haifa Islamic Society. According to the Filastin
Filastin (newspaper)
Filastin was a twice-weekly newspaper published from 1911-1948 in Palestine. Published from Jaffa, the principal publishers were Isa al-Isa and his cousin Yusef al-Isa. Both al-Isas were Greek Orthodox, opponents of British administration, and supporters of pan-Arab unity...
newspaper, he did so in protest of the sacking of Sheikh Kamil al-Qassab as the society's director of schools. It was also speculated al-Hajj Ibrahim quit because of the society's dominance by al-Husayni who was reportedly aiming to undermine the al-Istiqlal party because of its rising popularity. However, he remained intensely involved in Haifa's YMMA whose leadership was interwined with that of the Islamic Society. Under his leadership, Haifa became an al-Istiqlal stronghold. In line with the party's policy to expand the Arabic public sphere, al-Haj Ibrahim became one of many investors to form an Arabic film company that would open cinemas in Jerusalem, Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
, Haifa, and Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
in 1934.
Starting in the late 1920s, al-Haj Ibrahim became a close associate of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, a religious leader from 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....
who led paramilitary activities against the British military and Jewish settlers in Palestine. Because al-Qassam was frequently detained by the British authorities, al-Haj Ibrahim appealed to him several times to moderate his position; he would frequently persuade the British authorities not to arrest al-Qassam. In 1935, al-Qassam was killed by British forces in an assault near Jenin
Jenin
Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
, an action that would provoke the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine in which al-Haj Ibrahim was a chief activist.
Due to his role in the uprising, he was exiled to the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
in 1936. Following a conference in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1939, al-Haj Ibrahim was among the Palestinian notables invited by Muhammad Mahmoud Pasha
Muhammad Mahmoud Pasha
Muhammad Mahmud Pasha was Prime Minister of Egypt twice.Mahmud first became Prime Minister from June 27, 1928 to October 4, 1929, running under the Liberal Constitutional Party. When he left office, Sir Percy Lyham Loraine led Egypt as Governor General for two months until a new Prime Minister...
, the Prime Minister of Egypt
Prime Minister of Egypt
The Prime Minister of Egypt is the head of the Egyptian government. According to the constitution, the prime minister is the leader of the largest political party in the Egyptian Parliament....
, to discuss and modify the British White Paper
White Paper of 1939
The White Paper of 1939, also known as the MacDonald White Paper after Malcolm MacDonald, the British Colonial Secretary who presided over it, was a policy paper issued by the British government under Neville Chamberlain in which the idea of partitioning the Mandate for Palestine, as recommended in...
—which called for a united Palestine led by both Palestinian Arabs and Jews in proportion to their population ratio. Al-Haj Ibrahim returned to Palestine in February 1940. In order to further their political influence, the Istiqlalists with al-Haj Ibrahim as their leader, negotiated with Abdullah I of Jordan
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...
to gain the support of his partisans in Palestine as a counterweight to al-Husayni's supporters.
Role in Palestine War
Hostilities between Jews and Arabs in Palestine erupted as the British withdrew in mid-1947. In Haifa, a 14-member National Committee (NC) was established on December 2, with al-Haj Ibrahim as its chairman. He led the committee until its disestablishment in April 1948 during the thick of the war. He wrote to al-Husayni the "Arab world faces destruction [because]... the Jews want to take over [ EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Syria, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Transjordan, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, and the Hejaz
Hejaz
al-Hejaz, also Hijaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina...
]." According to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i historian Benny Morris
Benny Morris
Benny Morris is professor of History in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel...
, he believed that the Jews would establish a "giant" navy and air force and built atomic weapons with which to spread fear among the Arab people. Nonetheless, from the beginning of hostilities in December 1947, al-Haj Ibrahim encouraged moderation and pursued a ceasefire between the Arab and Jewish paramilitary forces, declaring the "Arabs were interested in quiet in Haifa..."
Opposition with al-Husayni's policies in the city mounted with al-Haj Ibrahim threatening to leave the city along with all of its senior politicians if al-Husayni continued to order attacks against Jewish forces there. Many senior politicians, including 11 out of the 15 NC members, had already left the city despite persuasion by al-Haj Ibrahim to remain in the city and help the Arab inhabitants face Jewish irregulars. Nonetheless, he left Palestine himself in early April 1948. He did so apparently after quarreling with the Lebanese
Lebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
commander of the Arab Liberation Army
Arab Liberation Army
The Arab Liberation Army , also translated as Arab Salvation Army, was an army of volunteers from Arab countries led by Fawzi al-Qawuqji...
(ALA) in Haifa, Amin Izz al-Din Nabahani.
Later life and death
Al-Haj Ibrahim moved to Amman, 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...
after fleeing Haifa upon its capture by Jewish forces. He wrote memoirs of his experience in Palestine from 1947 to the early 1950s. They mostly outlined the responsibility of the Palestinian leadership regarding the circumstances of the city's fall, and exposing its performance and political discourse during the British Mandate period. Al-Haj Ibrahim died in Amman in 1953, and was buried in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria. Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi is an Oxford University-educated Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is General Secretary and co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, established in Beirut in December 1963 as an independent research and publishing center...
edited and published his memoirs, titled Defending Haifa and the Problem of Palestine: The Memoirs of Rashid al-Haj Ibrahim, 1891-1953, in the Institute for Palestine Studies
Institute for Palestine Studies
The Institute for Palestine Studies is the oldest independent non-profit, public service, research institute in the Arab world, was established and incorporated in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1963 and has since served as a model for other such institutes in the region...
, Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, in 2006.