Ezzedine Kalak (Arabic: عز الدين القلق, romanized: 'Izz al-Din al-Qalaq; 1936–1978) was a member of the Fatah and served as the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in France from 1973 to his assassination in Paris on 3 August 1978. He was killed by the Abu Nidal group.
Ezzedine Kalak | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1936 |
| Died | 3 August 1978 (aged 41–42) Paris, France |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Burial place | Damascus |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Alma mater | |
| Years active | 1960s–1978 |
Early life and education edit
Kalak was born in Haifa, Mandatory Palestine, in 1936.[1] He was named after Ezzeddin Al Qassam, leader of the Arab revolt in Palestine between 1936 and 1939.[1] Kalak had seven siblings.[1]
Kalak was educated in Haifa until Nakba in 1948 when the family had to leave Palestine and settled in Damascus. Following his graduation from high school in Damascus he attended Damascus University. During his studies he joined a literary group and published short stories in the Syrian newspapers. He also became a member of the Syrian Communist Party while studying at the university. He was imprisoned for three years due to his Communist activities from 1959 and 1961. After his release from prison he translated and published the American and Chinese short stories. He graduated from Damascus University in 1963 obtaining a degree in chemistry.[1]
Kalak received a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Poitiers in the late 1960s. During his studies in France he joined the Fatah and was elected as the head of the General Union of Palestinian Students in France.[1]
Career and activities edit
Following his graduation from Damascus University Kalak worked as a teacher in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, until 1965. He settled in Paris after he completed his Ph.D. and worked for Radio Monte Carlo as a translator. He established a magazine entitled Fedayeen (Arabic: Resistance fighter) in Paris in 1970. During this period he began to work with Mahmoud Hamshari, PLO's representative in France. Kalak was instrumental in getting support from French artists, including Serge Le Péron and Claude Lazar, for the Palestinian cause.[2] Through Kalak's initiatives the French artists produced posters and contributed to the exhibitions and other artistic events in support of Palestinian resistance movement.[3]
Kalak succeeded Hamshari as the representative of the PLO in France in September 1973 after the assassination of Hamshari by the Mossad agents.[1] The PLO office was semi-officially recognized by France on 31 October 1975 and was reopened at the Arab League headquarters in the Boulevard Haussmann in Paris.[4][5][6] Kalak was the first Palestinian official who was invited to Élysée Palace to attend a ceremony held for the Saudi Arabian King Khalid in 1978.[1]
Kalak collected various political posters produced by the Palestinians in the 1960s and 1970s.[7] These were archived by the Poster House in New York City which donated them to the Watson Library.[7]
Assassination edit
Kalak and his aide Adnan Hammad were shot to death at the PLO Office in Paris on 3 August 1978.[8][9] Three other people were also injured in the attack.[10]
The perpetrators were Hatem Husni and Kayad Assad who were the members of the Black June, part of the Abu Nidal Organization, a revolutionary Palestinian group.[11][12] They were university students in France and were both Jordanians of Palestinian origin.[6] Husni and Assad were arrested immediately after the murder.[8] They were sentenced to fifteen years in prison in March 1980.[1] However, they were released from prison in 1986 and deported from France as a result of the negotiations between the government of France and Abu Nidal Organization.[13] Through the deal the terrorist attacks of the Abu Nidal Organization in France were terminated.[11][14] Following their release from prison Hatem Husni and Kayad Assad met with Abu Nidal, leader of the Abu Nidal Organization, at an undisclosed location.[15]
A funeral ceremony for Kalak and Adnan Hammad was held at the Grand Mosque, Paris, and Kalak was buried in Damascus on 5 August 1978.[16] Hammad was buried in Beirut, Lebanon.[16]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Biography. Ezzedine Kalak". Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question.
- ^ "May '68 and Solidarity with Palestine in France". Sursock Museum. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ Kristine Khouri; Rasha Salti (2019). "Transnational solidarity networks and speculative histories: 1960s–1980s". In Kristine Khouri; Rasha Salti (eds.). Past Disquiet: Artists, International Solidarity and Museums in Exile. Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw. p. 49. ISBN 978-83-64177-58-3.
- ^ "Paris allows Palestinians to open an office". The Times. No. 59542. Paris. 1 November 1975. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ Philippe Rondot (Spring 1987). "France and Palestine: From Charles de Gaulle to François Mitterrand". Journal of Palestine Studies. 16 (3): 92. doi:10.2307/2536791. JSTOR 2536791.
- ^ a b Ian Murray (4 August 1975). "Terrorists kill PLO representative in raid on Paris office". The Times. No. 60371. Paris. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ a b Holly Phillips (19 October 2022). "Glorious Graphics". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ a b Jonathan Kandell (4 August 1978). "2 PLO men in Paris slain in Arab feud". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ "Chronology. March—August 1978". Pakistan Horizon. 31 (2/3): 205. 1978. JSTOR 41393589.
- ^ Michael Newton (2014). Famous Assassinations in World History: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 389. ISBN 978-1-61069-286-1.
- ^ a b "Foreign News Briefs". United Press International. Paris. 21 February 1986. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ Christopher Dobson; Ronald Payne (1979). The Weapons of Terror: International Terrorism at Work. London; Basingstoke: The Macmillan Press Ltd. p. 213. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-16111-9. ISBN 978-1-349-16111-9.
- ^ Tracy Higgins (April 1994). The Politics of Counterterrorism in Western Europe (MA thesis). Indiana University. p. 43.
- ^ David Pallister (13 August 1991). "The Hostage Drama: Brothers in German jail will be top of release list". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ Ihsan A. Hejazi (8 March 1986). "Arafat and aides differ over response to Hussein". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ a b "France: Assassinated PLO officials bodies flown from home after Paris funeral (1978)". Pathé News. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
External links edit
- Official website (in Arabic)