Daud Turki (), also known by the kunya Abu Aida (), (1927 – March 8, 2009), was a Palestinian- poet. He was the leader of the anti-Zionist left-wing group the Red Front, an offshoot of Matzpen. He was convicted of treason and spent 17 years in Israeli prison, in what the Shin Bet considers one of its notable affairs.
Early life
Daud Turki was born in 1927 to a Palestinian Christian family from the Galilee village of al-Maghar, located between
Nazareth and
Lake Tiberias. He grew up in
Haifa. His father Simaan Daud was killed by
British troops in Haifa during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. Daud's mother Sadi'a Khouri was also from Maghar. His grandfather was Turki. After the establishment of
Israel in 1948, his immediate family fled Haifa for the
Druze village of
Beit Jann.
[The diaries of Abraham the Bolshevik http://www.aljabha.org/q/barhom-albolshofi.pdf ] He married Khazna Daud and had three daughters: Aida, Georget, and Nidal.
Political activity
Daud was an
Arab nationalism and a
Marxism.
He was a founding member of the Palestine Communist Party branch in Haifa in Mandatory Palestine. After the establishment of Israel, he joined the Israeli Communist Party, known by the acronym Maki. He and his extended family were expelled from Maki in 1963 for his pro-China views and advocacy for the Palestinian Right of Return. His family joined Maki's pro-Palestinian offshoot Rakah, which merged with other leftwing parties to form
Hadash.
Arrest and release
He was arrested in December 1972 and sentenced to 17 years in prison in March 1973 on charges of treason.
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 had written in prison called "the Wind of Struggle" (ريح الجهاد). He also wrote memoirs titled "Rebel from the Arab East" (ثائر من الشرق العربي).
Death
Daud Turki died at the age of 82 on March 8, 2009, reportedly from lung cancer.
See also
Sources
