Elias Atallah

Elias Atallah ( _ar. إلياس عطا الله) born in 1947, Is a Lebanese politician, and a member of parliament since the 2005 elections. He is also the chairperson of the Democratic Left Movement , and a prominent member in the March 14 Alliance.He was born in the Chouf region and has a degree in psychology and philosophy from the Lebanese University.

Political Activities

He joined the Lebanese Communist Party in 1971, and was a prominent member in the Lebanese National Movement that included George Hawi, Kamal Jumblatt and other Lebanese leftist politicians and intellectuals. In 1982, he took part in the resistance against the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Atallah was credited with supervising a great number of operations against Israeli forces and operatives in South Lebanon, including the attempted assassination of South Lebanon Army commander Antoine Lahad (who was seriously injured) by Soha Bechara and daring suicide attacks like the one carried out by George Nasrallah in Jabal al-Shaykh in 1988. [http://www.meib.org/articles/0011_l3.htm Dissidents in Communist Party Revolt against Damascus by Daniel Nassif] ]

His fierce criticism against the Lebanese Communist Party's policies, especially its positive attitude towards the Syrian occupation of Lebanon , led him in 2004 to form, with a group of Lebanese intellectuals including Samir Kassir, The Democratic Left Movement.In which, he was elected as its chairperson in 17, October, 2004 and was reelected in April, 2007.

After the Syrian army withdrew from Lebanon, he was elected as the representative of the Maronite seat in Tripoli, during the 2005 Lebanese parliamentary elections. [ [http://www.lebanonwire.com/prominent/elections2005/north_lebanon_two.asp North Lebanon Election Results] ] .In which, he became the first MP to represent a leftist secular political party in the Lebanese parliament.

ee also

* Cedar Revolution
* March 14 Alliance
* Democratic Left Movement
* Lebanese National Movement

References