Daud Turki

Daud Turki during his trial

Daud Turki (Template:Lang-ar, also known by his kunya أبو عايدة Abu Aida the father of Aida (the father of return)) (1972 - March 8, 2009), was a Palestinian-Arab poet, and former political prisoner in Israel, living in Haifa, Israel. He was the leader of the Jewish-Arab left-wing group called the Red Front, which was an anti-Zionist group.

Daud Turki was born in 1927 to a Palestinian Christian family from the Galilee village of al-Maghar. He grew up in the city of Haifa. His father's name is Simaan Daud and his mother Sadia Khouri from the Palestinian village of Rami in the Galilee. His grandfather Turki belonged to the David (Daud) clan of al-Mughar. In 1948 when Israel was established his family fled from Haifa to the Druze Palestinian village of Beit Jan, which afforded them protection.

He was an Arab Nationalist and a Marxist. He was a founding member of the Palestine Communist Party branch in Haifa during the time of British Mandate Palestine and fought British occupation of his homeland. After the establishment of Israel he joined the Israeli Communist Party Maki. He was expelled from the Israeli Communist Party in 1960 for his pro-China views.

He was arrested in December 1972 and sentenced to 17 years in prison in March 1973. He was released on May 20, 1985 as part of the "Galilee" prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command. After his release, he published a collection of poems he wrote while behind bars called "the Wind of Struggle" (ريح الجهاد) as well as his memoirs "Rebel from the Arab East" (ثائر من الشرق العربي). Daud Turki died at the age of 82 on March 8, 2009.

See Also

Ehud Adiv

Sources

• "The Red Front Trial". Journal of Palestine Studies. 2: pp. 128-129. (Summer, 1973). {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |chapter= ignored (help); |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
• "The Red Front Trial: The Depositions of Turki and Adiv". Journal of Palestine Studies. 2: pp. 144-150. (Summer, 1973). {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |chapter= ignored (help); |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)