Editing Abdel Razak al-Yehiyeh

{{Short description|Palestine politician (1929–2020)}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Abdel-Razak al-Yehiyeh
| image =Abdel Razak al-Yehiyeh.jpeg
| caption =
| office = [[Ministry of Interior (State of Palestine)|Interior Minister]] of the [[Palestinian National Authority]]
| president = [[Mahmoud Abbas]]
|primeminister = [[Salam Fayyad]]
|term_start = June 2007
|term_end = May 2009
|predecessor = [[Hani Talab al-Qawasmi]]
|successor = Said Abu Ali
| term_start2 = June 15, 2002
| term_end2 = Late 2002
| predecessor2 = [[Hani al-Hassan]]
| successor2 = [[Nasser Yousef]]
| birth_date = 15 March 1929
| birth_place = [[Tantura]], British Mandate of Palestine
| death_date = 9 March 2020 (aged 90)
| death_place =
| nationality = Palestinian
| party =
| spouse =
| children = 4 daughters and 1 son from his first marriage; 1 daughter and 1 son from his second marriage
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Politician, Military strategist, Author
| profession =
| religion =
| website =
}}

'''Abdel-Razak al-Yehiyeh''' or '''Abdul-Razzaq Al-Yahya''' (March 15, 1929 – March 9, 2020)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.alwatanvoice.com/arabic/news/2020/03/09/1320622.html |title=وفاة عبد الرزاق اليحيى وزير الداخلية الفلسطينية الأسبق |date=2020-03-03 |website=دنيا الوطن |language=ar |access-date=2020-03-23}}</ref> born in [[Tantura]], near [[Haifa]], then in the [[Mandatory Palestine|British Mandate of Palestine]],<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Al-YAHYA, ABDUL RAZEQ (1929-) |url=http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/personalities/alpha_y.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070413122411/http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/personalities/alpha_y.htm |archive-date=13 April 2007 |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA)}}</ref> also known as '''Abu Anas''', was a Palestinian politician who served as Interior Minister of the [[Palestinian National Authority]].

Al-Yehiyeh trained as a military strategist and served as chief operations officer and then deputy chief-of-staff of the [[Palestinian Liberation Army|PLA]] brigade in [[Syria]] before 1967.<ref name=":1" /> In August 1968, he led an attempt to make PLA Syria brigades more independent of Syrian control, and was made PLA chief-of-staff by the [[Palestine Liberation Organisation]] (PLO) Executive Committee. But with Syria opposed, he resigned to become military advisor to the PLO Executive Committee from 1969<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 August 2002 |title=LUNCHEON FORUM WITH GENERAL ABDEL RAZAK AL-YAHYA INTERIOR MINISTER OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY |url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/20020808saban.pdf |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=[[Brookings Institution]] |publisher=The Brookings Institution Saban Center for Middle East Policy |place=Washington, DC}}</ref> and chief-of-staff of the [[Palestinian Armed Struggle Command]] (PASC) in February 1969.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

He was reappointed to the PLA as commander-in-chief by the PLO Executive Committee in June 1969.<ref name=":1" /> Then when [[Yasser Arafat]] took on that role in September 1970, al-Yehiyeh became chief-of-staff of all Palestinian forces.<ref name=":1" />

Due to Syrian pressure, he was replaced in 1971, becoming director of the PLO's political department from 1971 to 1976,<ref name=":1" /> He was a member of the PLO Executive Committee from 1984 to 1991.<ref name=":0" /> Al-Yehiyeh headed security committees in talks with [[Israel]] from 1993 to 1995,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=10 June 2002 |title=New Palestinian interior minister a retired military man |url=https://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/06/09/al.yahya.profile/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422031549/https://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/06/09/al.yahya.profile/ |archive-date=22 April 2023 |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=CNN}}</ref> including final status talks, and also headed negotiations on [[Hebron]] security arrangements and safe passage.<ref name=":1" />

He was appointed as Interior Minister of the Palestinian Authority in June 2002, charged with overhauling Palestinian security forces.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> He was a member of the three-man delegation to Washington in August 2000.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} He was involved in security talks with Israel, and headed a centralized security apparatus for the Palestinian Authority.

Al-Yehiyeh left the PA cabinet in late 2002, feeling that Arafat had prevented him from making any significant reforms. He published his book ''Between militarism and politics'' in 2006,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Al-Yahya |first=Abdul Razzaq |url=https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1647995 |title=عبد الرزاق اليحيى : بين العسكرية و السياسة : ذكريات |publisher=Palestinian Refugee and Diaspora Center (SHAML) |year=2006 |isbn=9789950315068 |location=[[Ramallah]], [[West Bank]], [[Palestine]] |language=ar |trans-title=Abdul Razzaq Al-Yahya Between Militarism and Politics (Memories)}}</ref> and he was working on publishing a new book about peace negotiations between the Palestinian National Authority PNA and Israel.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

He was appointed Interior Minister on June 15, 2007.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

== Private life ==
From his first marriage, he had 4 daughters: Jomana, Lina, Roula and Rejwan. After the death of his first wife, he remarried and had a daughter Rana, and a son, Anas.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.celebsagewiki.com/abdel-razak-al-yehiyeh?utm |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=www.celebsagewiki.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* Sedan, Gil, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20060316053806/http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/18372/edition_id/368/format/html/displaystory.html ''Israel doubts Arafat will deliver on reform efforts'']", [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]], Friday June 7, 2002. Archived from [http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/18372/edition_id/368/format/html/displaystory.html Original] March 16, 2006.
* "''[http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/06/09/al.yahya.profile/ New Palestinian interior minister a retired military man]''", [[CNN]]. June 10, 2002. (Name misspelt)
* "'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20070413122411/http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/personalities/alpha_y.htm Palestinian Personalities]''", The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA). Archived April 13, 2007.
* "'' [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/yahya.html Jewish Virtual Library] ''".
* "'' [https://archive.today/20130204175340/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,949548,00.html Times Magazine] ",'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20101015061246/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,949548,00.html full text].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yehiyeh, Abdel Razak al-}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Haifa District]]
[[Category:Interior ministers of the Palestinian National Authority]]
[[Category:Fatah military commanders]]