Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Abd al-Razzaq al-Yahya (March 15, 1929 in Tantura - March 9, 2020 in Amman), known as Abu Anas, is a Palestinian politician and military man. He held the portfolio of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior within the formation of the fourth and twelfth governments. He is a member of the Palestinian National Council.
Growing up and educational attainment
Abd al-Razzaq Iqab Mahmoud al-Yahya was born on March 15, 1929 in the town of Tantura, near the city of Haifa. He received his school education in Haifa and Acre and finished it at the Arab College in Jerusalem in 1947.
In April 1948, he joined a course for Palestinian officers in Syria. He joined the Salvation Army and served in it in Lebanon and Syria until it was dissolved. His family left the town as a result of the Nakba events in 1948.
He continued his military education in Syria until he obtained a master's degree in military sciences from the Command and Staff College in 1965. He also studied statistics, business administration, and geography at the University of Damascus.
practical life
Abdul Razzaq Al-Yahya held several positions during his political and military life. He served within the Syrian Armed Forces from 1949-1958 in several locations, the most important of which was the Golan, where he held several general leadership positions.
In 1964, he contributed to the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Army, and rose through it as chief operations officer and then deputy chief of staff of the Palestine Liberation Army in Syria before the 1967 war.
In August 1968, he led attempts to make the Palestine Liberation Army more independent from Syrian control and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Army formed the PLO Executive Committee. But with Syria's opposition, he resigned from his position to become a military advisor to the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and chief of staff of the leadership of the Palestinian armed struggle since 1969.
In June 1969, the PLO Executive Committee reappointed him to the Palestine Liberation Army as Commander-in-Chief. Then in September 1970, when Yasser Arafat assumed this role, Al-Yahya became chief of staff of all Palestinian forces. Due to Syrian pressure, he was replaced in 1971 and became Director of the Political Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization from 1971 to 1984. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization from 1984 to 1991.
He participated in the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and headed the security side in the period from 1993 to 1999, where he played a role in the Gaza-Jericho Agreement first, the transitional phase agreements, including the Hebron Agreement and the Wye River Agreement, in addition to the safe passage negotiations and the Gaza airport and port. He also chaired the border and security committees, and the withdrawal committees in the permanent status negotiations.
On June 13, 2002, he was appointed Minister of the Interior within the fourth Palestinian government headed by Yasser Arafat, and the government continued until October 29, 2002. He was reappointed on June 14, 2007 as Minister of the Interior within the twelfth Palestinian government headed by Salam Fayyad, and continued until May 19, 2009.
personal life
Abdul Razzaq Al-Yahya was married twice, and he had 4 daughters from his first wife. After her death in 1975, he married again and had a daughter and a son. His second wife died in 2004.
Death
Abdul Razzaq Al-Yahya died on March 9, 2020 in Amman at the age of 91 and was buried in the Martyrs’ Cemetery, Umm Al-Hiran, Amman.
Compositions
Abdul Razzaq Al-Yahya published several books, including “Between Military and Politics, Memories.”
Achievements and Awards
Medals and honors
On March 1, 2007, the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas Al-Yahya, was awarded the Order of the Star of Jerusalem after he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and was referred for retirement.
In September 2019, the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, awarded Lieutenant General Abdul Razzaq Al-Yahya the Star of Honor of the Yasser Arafat Medal.
On August 20, 2022, the municipality of Al-Bireh City in Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate inaugurated a street in his name.
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