Abd al-Rauf al-Bitar
Abd al-Rauf al-Bitar | |
|---|---|
عبد الرؤوف البيطا | |
| Mayor of Jaffa | |
| In office January 1939 – 17 June 1941 | |
| Preceded by | Assam Bek As-Said |
| Succeeded by | Omar al-Bitar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jaffa |
| Died | 17 June 1941 Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine |
Abd al-Rauf al-Bitar (died 17 June 1941) was a Palestinian politician who served as the mayor of Jaffa from 1939 until his death in 1941.
Biography
Bitar was born in Jaffa. He received his secondary education in the city, and later studied in Beirut. He then became a merchant, a military contractor and a tax collector. al-Bitar was married and had at the time of his death three sons and two daughters.[1]
Bitar was first appointed Deputy Mayor of Jaffa by British Authorities in 1918, months after their occupation of the city from the Ottoman Empire.[1] Bitar was elected to Jaffa's city council in 1927 and 1934.[2][3]
In 1936, Bitar was elected head of the Jaffa Chamber of commerce. He also served as a member of the local Citrus control board.[1]
On 5 January 1939, Mandatory authorities dissolved Jaffa's City Council, replacing it with a three-person committee headed by al-Bitar as Mayor.[4]
Bitar survived an assassination attempt on 2 June 1939.[5]
Bitar died in Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center on 17 June 1941 after a three-month illness.[1] He was replaced as mayor by hs brother, Omar al-Bitar.[6]
A street in Tel Aviv-Yafo is named after Bitar.[7]
Further reading
- Giller, Shmuel (2021), "זיכרונות על יפו של פעם" [Memories of the old Jaffa], Ben-Yehuda project
- Giller, Shmuel (2019), "יפו הבלתי ידועה" [The unknown Jaffa], Ariel publications, via the Ben-Yehuda project
- Goren, Tamir (2017), "מפנה ביחסי ערבים ויהודים ביפו ובתל אביב בשנות מלחמת העולם השנייה" [A turning point in Arab-Jewish relationships in Jaffa and Tel Aviv during the Second World War], Inquiries into the revival of Israel, Ben-Gurion University.
References
- ^ a b c d "Mayor of Jaffa Dead". The Palestine Post. 18 June 1941. p. 1. Retrieved 12 July 2025 – via National Library of Israel.
- ^ "תוצאות הבחירות בעיריית יפו" [Results of election to Jaffa Municipality]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). 31 May 1927. p. 1. Retrieved 12 July 2025 – via National Library of Israel.
- ^ "תוצאות הבחירות לעיריית יפו" [Results of election to Jaffa Municipality]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). 28 June 1934. p. 1. Retrieved 12 July 2025 – via National Library of Israel.
- ^ "נתמנתה ועדה עירונית ביפו" [A Municipal Committee has been appointed in Jaffa]. HaTzofe (in Hebrew). 5 January 1939. p. 1. Retrieved 12 July 2025 – via National Library of Israel.
- ^ "הטרור המחודש בארץ" [Renewed terror in the country]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). 4 June 1939. p. 1. Retrieved 12 July 2025 – via National Library of Israel.
- ^ "עומר אל-ביטאר - ראש עיריית יפו" [Omar al-Bitar - Mayor of Jaffa]. HaTzofe. 22 June 1941. p. 1. Retrieved 12 July 2025 – via National Library of Israel.
- ^ Padan, Yehiam (2005). "תל אביב יפו: מדריך הרחובות" [Tel Aviv-Yafo: the street guide] (PDF). tel-aviv.gov.il. p. 35. Retrieved 11 July 2025.