Sami Hadawi
Encyclopedia
Sami Hadawi was a Palestinian
scholar and author. He is known for documenting the effects of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
on the Arab
population in Palestine
and published statistics for individual villages prior to Israel's establishment. Hadawi worked as a land specialist until he was exiled from Jerusalem after a fierce battle in his neighborhood between Israel
i and Jordan
ian forces. He continued to specialize in documenting Palestine's lands and published several books about the 1948 War and the Palestinian refugee
s.
and died in combat during World War I
. In 1915, after his father's death, Hadawi's family moved to Amman
. Three years later he worked as an unofficial interpreter for the British Army
and then moved back to Palestine
the year after to work as a clerk for the Land Registration Office.
His interest in the structure of Arab villages began with his job there and then his job at the Land Settlement Department from 1920-27. Hadawi eventually became an inspector and land value assessor from 1938-48 and was the major contributor to the Village Statistics 1945: A Classification of Land and Area Ownership in Palestine which was a land and population census of the Arab localities in the British Mandate of Palestine. He lived in his grandfather's home in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City until 1948. In 1948, he, his wife Nora and their two children built a home for themselves in Katamon. That same year they were forced to leave with the advance of Israel
i forces.
. His job was to determine the extent of property that Palestinian refugee
s left behind after the 1948 War. This led him to co-found the Palestinian Information Office in 1959 and then two Arab League
offices in the United States
. His final work years were as Director of the Institute for Palestine Studies
(IPS) in Beirut
throughout 1960-70 in which he published Palestine - Loss of a Heritage.
He retired in 1970, moved to Toronto
and began writing books on the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
including Palestinian Rights and Losses in 1948 (1988) and Bitter Harvest: a Modern History of Palestine (1989). Hadawi died on April 22, 2004 at the age of 100. He was buried in Toronto instead of his desired request to be buried in his hometown of Jerusalem. "I would like to be buried in Jerusalem, but I have no choice," he told journalist Hicham Safieddine, in the last interview he gave.
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...
scholar and author. He is known for documenting the effects of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
on the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
population in 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....
and published statistics for individual villages prior to Israel's establishment. Hadawi worked as a land specialist until he was exiled from Jerusalem after a fierce battle in his neighborhood between Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i and 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...
ian forces. He continued to specialize in documenting Palestine's lands and published several books about the 1948 War and the Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s.
Early life
Hadawi was born in Jerusalem to Arab Christian parents. His father was a soldier in the army of the Ottoman EmpireOttoman 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...
and died in combat during 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...
. In 1915, after his father's death, Hadawi's family moved to 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...
. Three years later he worked as an unofficial interpreter for the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and then moved back to 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....
the year after to work as a clerk for the Land Registration Office.
His interest in the structure of Arab villages began with his job there and then his job at the Land Settlement Department from 1920-27. Hadawi eventually became an inspector and land value assessor from 1938-48 and was the major contributor to the Village Statistics 1945: A Classification of Land and Area Ownership in Palestine which was a land and population census of the Arab localities in the British Mandate of Palestine. He lived in his grandfather's home in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City until 1948. In 1948, he, his wife Nora and their two children built a home for themselves in Katamon. That same year they were forced to leave with the advance of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i forces.
After exile
Hadawi's wife died of a heart attack shortly after their departure. Hadawi had similar work with Jordanian land authorities as he did with the British. He retained that job until 1952 when he became a land specialist for the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. His job was to determine the extent of property that Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s left behind after the 1948 War. This led him to co-found the Palestinian Information Office in 1959 and then two Arab League
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
offices in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His final work years were as Director of 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...
(IPS) in 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...
throughout 1960-70 in which he published Palestine - Loss of a Heritage.
He retired in 1970, moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and began writing books on the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
including Palestinian Rights and Losses in 1948 (1988) and Bitter Harvest: a Modern History of Palestine (1989). Hadawi died on April 22, 2004 at the age of 100. He was buried in Toronto instead of his desired request to be buried in his hometown of Jerusalem. "I would like to be buried in Jerusalem, but I have no choice," he told journalist Hicham Safieddine, in the last interview he gave.
Publications
- ownership in Palestine, New York: Palestine Arab Refugee Office, 1957
- Palestine partitioned, 1947-1958, New York: Arab Information Center, 1959
- Israel and the Arab minority, New York: Arab Information Center, 1959
- Israel according to Holy scriptures, Dallas, Texas : [s.n.], 1960
- Palestine: questions and answers. , New York: Arab Information Center, 1961
- German reparation versus Israeli confiscations, New York: Arab Information Center, 1961
- Who benefits from anti-Semitism, New York: Arab Information Center, 1961
- Palestine Loss of Heritage, San Antonio, Texas: The Naylor Co., 1963
- Bitter Harvest: Palestine 1914-1967, New York: New World Press, 1967
- Palestine in focus, Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center: 1969
- Village statistics, 1945: A classification of land and area ownership in Palestine, Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center: 1970
- The Palestine Diary : Volume I and II, New World Press: 1972
- Crime and no punishment;: Zionist Israeli terrorism, 1939-1972 (Palestine essays), Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center: 1972
- Bitter Harvest, Palestine Between 1914-1979, Caravan Books: 1979 ISBN 978-0882060255
- The Jews, Zionism, and the Bible: (a study of 'Biblical' and 'historical' claims) ,Toronto, Ontario: The Arab Palestine Association, 1981
- Palestinian Rights and Losses in 1948: A Comprehensive Study, Saqi BooksSaqi BooksSaqi Books is an independent UK publisher co-founded in 1984 by author and feminist Mai Ghoussoub to "print quality academic and general interest books on the Middle East". It now claims to be "the UK's largest publisher of Middle Eastern and Arabic titles"...
: 2000 ISBN 0863561578