Kamal Nasser

Kamal Nasser (1925–April 9/April 10, 1973) was a Palestinian writer, poet and militant.

Early life

Nasser was born in Gaza to a family from Bir Zeit near Ramallah. He was educated at Bir Zeit school (now Bir Zeit University) and the American University of Beirut. Later he worked as a teacher while studying law in Jerusalem. In the period following Israeli independence Nasser worked as a journalist.

Political life

He was responsible for producing the al-Ba‘ath newspaper from Ramallah and also set up "al-Jil al-Jadid", a literary periodical. In 1956 he was elected to Jordanian parliament as Ba‘ath member for Ramallah district. He did not serve out his term as a result of his expulsion from Parliament during the subsequent martial law period in Jordan.Expelled from West Bank by Israel in 1967, Nasser became editor of PLO newspaper, Filastin al-Thawra. In addition, at that time he became a member of PLO Executive Committee from February 1969 through July of 1971 serving as an official with the office of National Guidance.

Exile

Nasser was assassinated by IDF commandos in the 1973 Israeli raid on Lebanon (Operation Spring of Youth), on the night of April 9/April 10, 1973. One of the assassins was reportedly Ehud Barak, dressed up as a woman, who later became prime minister of Israel [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/26/AR2006082600917.html] .

Trivia

The main auditorium of Bir Zeit University is named after him.

Writings

Jirah Tughanni (Singing Wounds) 1960

From the poem "Letter to Fadwa":

If my songs should reach you

despite the narrow skies around me,

remember that I will return to life,

to the quest for liberty,

remember that my people may call on my soul

and feel it rising again from the folds of the earth.