Muhammad Ali Ja'abari Explained

Sheikh Muhammad Ali Ja'abari
Office:Mayor of Hebron
Term Start:1948
Term End:1976
Successor:Fahd Qawasmi
Office1:Member of the upper chamber of the Jordanian government
Term Start1:1950s
Office2:Member of various Jordanian cabinets
Term Start2:1970s
Term End2:?
Birth Date:1900
Death Date:1980
Nationality:Palestinian
Relations:Sulaiman Ja'abari (relative)

Sheikh Muhammad Ali Ja'abari (Arabic: الشيخ محمد علي الجعبري 1900–1980) was the long-serving mayor of the Palestinian city of Hebron, appointed by Jordan, from 1948 to 1976. Ja'abari was head of the Jericho Conference in Jericho which supported the unification of the West Bank and Jordan. In the 1950s, he held a seat in the upper chamber of the Jordanian government.[1]

Career

After Israel occupied the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War, he proposed that Israel only remain in power for five years after which the Palestinians would reserve the right of self-determination. Apparently, it had been agreed with Israel that he would serve as the Prime Minister of a new Palestinian state.[2] He prominently opposed the violent nature of the fedayeen.[3] His tenure as mayor of Jordan ended on 28 March 1976, and he was succeeded by Fahd Qawasmi who was the first elected mayor of the city.[4] Throughout the 1970s, Ja'abari was member of various Jordanian cabinets.

Ja'abari died in 1980. He is related to Sulaiman Ja'abari, the former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/personalities/alpha_j.htm Palestinian Personalities
  2. https://books.google.com/books?id=DS7svsTp9rwC&dq=%22...+agreed+that+Sheikh+Muhammad+'Ali+al-Ja'bari,+the+magisterial+mayor+of+Hebron,+would+be+the+prime+minister+ofa+new+West+%22&pg=PR13 The Bride and the Dowry: Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians in the Aftermath of the June 1967 War
  3. Israel, Palestinians, and the Intifada: creating facts on the West Bank, Geoffrey Aronson, Institute for Palestine Studies (Washington, D.C.) - 1990- p. 46.
  4. Web site: Municipal Council over the Years. Hebron City. 17 December 2023.