Politicsעלי יחיא

Ali Yahya

Ali Yahya was an Israeli Arab educator and diplomat who in 1995 became the first Israeli ambassador of Arab descent, serving in Finland and later in Greece.

1947 to 2014First Arab Israeli ambassadorTeaching Arabic at Ulpan AkivaAmbassador to Finland and Greece

Died: 11 September 2014, Kafr Qara
Occupation: diplomat, educator
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Ali Yahya was born in 1947 in Kafr Qara

Ali Yahya was born in 1947 in Kafr Qara and grew up there. He was married to Khairiya, and they had 5 children.

He earned a BA in history and Arabic literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1970.

From 1972 to 1995 he taught Arabic language and Arab culture at Ulpan Akiva in Netanya and held a senior post there. He also lectured at Tel Aviv University, at police colleges and in the Foreign Ministry cadet program. In 1984 he became the first Arab citizen of Israel to light a torch at the Independence Day ceremony.

In 1995 he joined the board of the Israel Broadcasting Authority and was appointed ambassador to Finland, serving until 1999. He then worked on Middle East peace process projects at the Foreign Ministry, including the Aqaba Eilat talks. In 2006 he became ambassador to Greece.

Yahya died on 11 September 2014 in Kafr Qara. The Foreign Ministry later named a library and a lecture hall after him.