Personal Info
- Country of residence: Jordan
Information
Abd al-Ghani Saeed Ali Mansour al-Karmi (born in 1906 in Tulkarm - died on February 13, 1974 in Tulkarm), a Palestinian politician, writer, literary figure, thinker, diplomat, and statesman. He was one of the most prominent Palestinian thinkers and journalists during the period of the British Mandate over Palestine, and one of the leaders of the Palestinian National Movement. He is one of the leaders of the Palestinian Arab Communist Party, one of the founders of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and one of the most prominent figures who worked alongside Jordanian King Abdullah I bin Al Hussein in the early beginnings of the establishment of the Kingdom of Jordan. He held multiple positions, including Secretary General of the Jordanian Royal Court, and Secretary General of the Palace. The Hashemite Kingdom, an advisor to King Abdullah I, head of his office, and chief of his staff. He led the Jordanian-Israeli negotiations during the period 1948-1951, and was the Jordanian peace envoy during that period.
His upbringing and educational attainment
Abdul Ghani Saeed Ali Mansour Al-Karmi was born in the Palestinian city of Tulkarm in 1906. He received his education in the schools of his city of Tulkarm, and finished his secondary education with his brother Abdul Karim Al-Karmi at Maktab Anbar Secondary School in Damascus. He then joined the University of the Toilers of the East in Moscow; He was among the first batch of student members of the Palestinian Communist Party sent to Moscow in 1927.
his personal life
Abdul-Ghani Al-Karmi lived in the city of Tulkarm in a family famous for its knowledge and literature. His father is the scholar and minister Saeed Al-Karmi, and his brothers are: the poet Abdul Karim Al-Karmi (Abu Salma), the writer Ahmed Shaker Al-Karmi, the linguist Hassan Al-Karmi, and the writer Mahmoud Al-Karmi. As for his grandfather, he is Sheikh Ali bin Mansour Al-Karmi.
His political life
At the beginning of his life, Abdel-Ghani Al-Karmi became a member of the Palestinian Arab Communist Party, and in December 1926, Al-Karmi was elected to lead the “First Palestinian Movement Conference,” accompanied by the Lebanese Rafik Jabour, in the presence of 85 delegates from various Arab countries.
Al-Karmi has strong relationships with a large number of Arab figures, including: Amjad Al-Tarabulsi, Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam, Saeed Al-Afghani, Ali Al-Tantawi, Anwar Al-Attar, Dhafer Al-Qasimi, Mutlaq Abdul Khaleq, and others.
After Abdul-Ghani Al-Karmi joined the University of the Toilers of the East in Moscow in 1927, he could not stand the lifestyle in Moscow after a short period of his stay there, so he tried to return to Tulkarm, but he was unable because the officials there rejected his request, so he then began writing a letter to the British ambassador in Moscow. He asks him to grant him a passport, considering that his country, Palestine, is subject to the rule of the British Mandate. Abdul Ghani left the letter on his desk and went into the bathroom. At that moment, an Egyptian colleague visited him. He saw the letter and informed the university administration, which immediately contacted the secret political police of the Soviet Union. Al-Karmi was arrested and sent to the Lubyanka headquarters and prison, and the secretary of the Communist Party in Lebanon and Syria learned. Fuad Al-Shamali, who was visiting Moscow in those days, arrested Al-Karmi, and made a great effort with the officials to release him. His efforts were crowned with success, and Abdul-Ghani returned to Tulkarm in the summer of 1930.
Abdul-Ghani Al-Karmi was one of the first Palestinian writers. In 1930, he founded the Al-Yarmouk newspaper and served as its editor-in-chief. He also worked as editor-in-chief of the Palestinian newspaper Al-Nafir. In 1935, he founded the Palestinian political newspaper Al-Sa’iqa, of which he served as editor-in-chief. The newspaper was an extension of the Palestinian newspaper Al-Nafir that preceded it. The first issue of Al-Saiqa newspaper was published on March 7, 1935.
During the period 1943-1944, Abdul-Ghani Al-Karmi participated in establishing the National Liberation League movement in Palestine, affiliated with the Palestinian Communist Party. Al-Karmi became one of the leaders of the movement, then founded a movement parallel to the party and assumed its presidency.
In 1946, Al-Karmi worked as head of the editorial secretariat of the Palestinian political daily newspaper Al-Shaab, and continued to do so until 1948. At the beginning of 1948, Al-Karmi founded the Palestinian newspaper Al-Mizan and assumed the editorship of it. It was a political, economic, and social newspaper, and its first issue was published on the 23rd. February 1948.
Abdul-Ghani Al-Karmi’s multilingualism and his political and journalistic experience qualified him to later join the court of King Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein. Al-Karmi participated in the founding of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and assumed several responsibilities at the Jordanian Royal Court, including ceremonial duties, and head of media, communication and translation at the Court. Then King Abdul-Ghani appointed him to God I bin Al-Hussein held the position of Secretary-General of the Royal Court, Secretary-General of the Royal Hashemite Palace, Special Advisor to the King, head of his office, and chief of his staff. Al-Karmi also led the Jordanian-Israeli negotiations during the period 1948-1951, commissioned by King Abdullah I, and he was also the Jordanian envoy for the Operation Peace to the countries of the world during that period.
After the assassination of Jordanian King Abdullah I on July 20, 1951, Al-Karmi served as acting Jordanian ambassador to Spain, and he continued to do so until he retired from diplomatic and political work and headed to the capital, London, and worked there in writing and editing for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). He also worked there as editor-in-chief of the London-based Al-Alam magazine until he returned to his country, Palestine, in the mid-sixties, where he resided in his city of Tulkarm until he died there in 1974.
An attempt on his life
After the Palestinian revolution in 1936, Abd al-Ghani al-Karmi took an opposition position to the views of Amin al-Husseini, and for this reason al-Husseini directly instructed work to assassinate al-Karmi. In 1939, Abd al-Ghani al-Karmi miraculously survived the assassination attempt that targeted him; This was when the perpetrators suspected the photo of another person and killed him. Abd al-Ghani al-Karmi escaped, but a few months after this assassination attempt, al-Husseini was able to assassinate his brother Mahmoud al-Karmi on December 24, 1939.
Al-Karmi and Al-Qassam
Abd al-Ghani al-Karmi had a strong personal relationship with Izz al-Din al-Qassam, and on November 22, 1935, Abd al-Ghani al-Karmi wrote in the Filastin newspaper, speaking about al-Qassam’s virtues and exploits. He said: “I knew him after the years had burdened him, and he was sixty years old. You were a channel for him, and you did not give him favor to anyone, and you only increased his piety and piety. He walked with his head bowed out of fear of God, and he spoke with calmness, humility, and poise, which is the characteristic of a scholar who is confident in himself, who believes in his message, who is keen on fearing God and spreading correct religious teachings among the people, and from what I heard throughout my relationship with him, he does not like to listen to idle talk, hypocrisy, and backbiting. If the speakers elaborated on this type of saying, he raised his head and said: “Ask forgiveness from God, O people,” and left them.
His writings
Abdul-Ghani Al-Karmi has written a number of works on politics, literature, and poetry, including:
“Lifetime Surprises and Other Stories ,” published by Amman Press, the Jordanian capital.
“Abu Tammam...in his style is a school with followers ,” Jordan.
“International Historian Arnold Toynbee ,” 1967, Jordan.
“Ali bin Jarjis: The Poet Who Was Killed by His Tongue ,” 1968, Jordan.
dictionary
Abdul Ghani Al Karmi is fluent in a number of world languages, most notably English, Russian, and French.
Medals
On September 8, 1950, Jordanian King Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein Abdul-Ghani Al-Karmi awarded the Jordanian Independence Medal, the highest and most honorable decoration at that time, in appreciation of his diplomatic and political career.
His death
Abdul Ghani Al-Karmi died in the city of Tulkarm on February 13, 1974 after a struggle with illness.
They said about him
The writer and journalist Radhi Sadouk says: “Abdul Ghani Al-Karmi was fluent in Russian, French, English, Italian, Hebrew, and German, and in Arabic he was unmatched by an Azhari sheikh, and he wrote poetry.”
Writer and researcher Aida Al-Najjar says: “In the strike of 1936, the language of the press was patriotic and enthusiastic, preparing the people for the revolution that had become a reality. Abdul-Ghani Al-Karmi wrote in the Palestine newspaper an editorial entitled: Speak, O Arab, for the generations are listening.”
Israeli diplomat and negotiator Moshe Sasson says: “Abdul Ghani al-Karmi and I used to visit each other in Jerusalem in order to together arrange meetings between King Abdullah and Reuven Shiloah. In one of those meetings, Abd al-Ghani told me that the king ordered him to prepare a meal in his house.” A dinner and to invite a number of important men from Palestine and Jordan to it, and to invite me with them to talk to them about the secret negotiations and their goals, and also to present to them Israel’s intentions and policy. The date for the dinner was set for Thursday, July 19, 1951.”
source
Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
: From
To