Rostam Bastuni

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Rostam Bastuni

Date of birth	15 March 1923
Place of birth	Haifa, Mandate Palestine
Date of death	26 April 1994
Knesset(s)	2nd
Party	Mapam
Former parties	Left Faction

Rostam Bastuni (Arabic: روستم بستوني‎, Hebrew: רוסתם בסתוני‎, born 15 March 1923, died 26 April 1994) was an Israeli politician and journalist, and the first Israeli Arab to represent a Zionist party in the Knesset.

[edit] Background

Bastuni was born into a Christian family in Mandate Palestine from the mixed city of Haifa. He attended the Technion, graduating with a degree in Architecture, going on to become a teacher.

[edit] Political career

Going into politics, Bastuni joined the Arab branch of Mapam. He quickly rose through the party ranks, and although not elected, he served as the party's secretary in the first Knesset. He also edited the Arabic edition of Mapam's weekly magazine, Al-Fajar.

For the 1951 elections he was placed high enough on their list to win a place in the Knesset, thus becoming the first Israeli Arab to represent a Zionist party (three Arab MKs had served in the first Knesset, but none of them for Zionist parties - one had been a member of the communist Maki and the other two were members of an Arab party, the Democratic List of Nazareth).

During his first Knesset term, internal divisions over the Prague Trials led to Mapam splitting. Bastuni left the party and set up the Left Faction with Avraham Berman and Moshe Sneh. However, whilst Berman and Sneh went on to join Maki, Bastuni returned to Mapam.

Bastuni lost his seat in the 1955 elections and did not return to the Knesset. Later, he served as an advisor in the Ministry of Housing on issues pertaining to Arab settlements. He was also dedicated to furthering Jewish-Arab harmony, and in 1966 he founded the Actions Committee of Israeli Arabs for Israel. In 1969 he emigrated to the United States, where he became an advocate of the binational (one state) solution, publishing his views in the New York Times in 1972. He later taught Middle Eastern history at the State University of New Yorkand became the chief architect of the New York City Technical College.