Salah Al-Zawawi

Salah Al-Zawawi
صلاح الزواوي
Palestine Ambassador to Iran
Finished
In office 1980–2022
Preceded by	Hani al-Hassan (1979–1980)
Succeeded by	Salam Al-Zawawi (2022–present)
Personal details
Born	Salah Al-Zawawi 1937 Safed, Palestine
Died	February 20, 2023 Iran, Tehran[1]

Salah Al-Zawawi or among Iranian Salah Zawawi (born in 1937 - died on February 20, 2023) (86 years old)^[2] was born in Palestine and was the ambassador of the Palestinian government in Iran. He was the second ambassador of Palestine in Iran after Hani al-Hassan and held this position from February 1981^[3] to 2022. He is one of the founding members of the Fatah movement and the former Palestinian ambassador to Algeria, Brazil and Kenya.^[4][5][6]

Salah al-Zawawi was born in 1937 and before the formation of Israel in Palestine in the city of Safed, Al-Jalil region.^[7] In those years, the city of Safed was under the British protectorate in Palestine. During the 1948 war (the war of several Arab countries against Israel after the declaration of independence and the establishment of Israel), Salah al-Zawawi migrated to Syria with his family. His family immigrated to Syria in 1948 and settled in the city of Aleppo. Salah al-Zawawi came to Tehran in 1980 as the Palestinian ambassador. After that, he lived in Tehran for about 39 years and died in the same city.^[8]

Al-Zawawi started fighting against Israel in his youth and was one of the founders of the Fatah movement along with Yasser Arafat and was present in many important operations. Salah al-Zawawi, who was an experienced diplomat, was sent to Tehran in 1983 to succeed Hani al-Hassan. Salah al-Zawawi was the Palestinian ambassador in Tehran for a long period of four decades, from 1980 to 2022.^[9] And because of his long service, he was given the title of "Moghaddam Al-Sofara" or "Sheikh Al-Sofara" (lit. 'Doyen'). He was always respected by all ambassadors of other countries in Tehran. Salah al-Zawawi continued his diplomatic activity in Tehran until January 2022 and resigned from the embassy in this year. Salah al-Zawawi's daughter named Salam al-Zawawi, who was familiar with Iranian culture due to her long-term residence in Iran, appointed as the Palestinian ambassador in Tehran after her father's resignation.^[10][11]

On Thursday, January 6, 2022, at the end of his mission in Iran, Salah al-Zawawi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Salam al-Zawawi, the daughter of Salah al-Zawawi, became the new Palestinian ambassador to Iran after her father, took the oath before Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, on Saturday night, January 8, 2022, and started working as the new Palestinian ambassador to Iran.^[7][12] This ceremony was held at the residence of Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, the capital of Jordan.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18]}

Before working as an ambassador in Tehran, Salah al-Zawawi was the Palestinian ambassador to Algeria in 1968, the Palestinian ambassador to Brazil in 1975, and the Palestinian ambassador to Kenya from 1977 to 1979.^[20] In 1980, after the victory of the Iranian Islamic revolution, he came to Tehran as the ambassador of Palestine and held this position until 2022. He was the ambassador of Palestine in Iran for more than 40 years, and contrary to diplomatic custom and even though his mission was over, he continued to work as an ambassador in Iran at the request of the Palestinian government, which according to him, "staying in this position is beyond politics."^[21][22][8]

Salah al-Zawawi was the second Palestinian ambassador to Iran after Hani al-Hassan.^[23] Salah al-Zawawi was the "only legal representative of the Palestinian nation" in Iran from 1981 to 2022. Salah al-Zawawi established a close relationship with Iranian politicians and had relations with representatives of all Palestinian resistance groups.^[24]

Due to his long-term presence as an ambassador in Iran, Salah al-Zawawi was given the titles such as "Al-Safir al-Avval" (السفير الأول in Arabic, lit. 'The first of the ambassadors'),^[25] "Moghaddam al-Sofaraa" (مقدم السفراء in Arabic, lit. 'Presenter of the ambassadors')^[26] and "Sheikh al-Sofaraa" (شيخ السفراء in Arabic, lit. 'Sheikh of the ambassadors').^[20][27]

Because of the 39 years^[28] or according to another story more than 40 years^[29][30] of Salah al-Zawawi's diplomatic and media activity for Iran and Palestine,^[31] a celebration ceremony was held for him at Media Cultural Center in Tehran on Monday February 28, 2022. The ceremony, was prepared by the Society for the Defence of Palestinian Nation and was held with the presence of some Iranian officials and political figures.^[32] In the ceremony, Salah al-Zawawi's sincere efforts were appreciated and thanked.^[33][34][35]

When Salah al-Zawawi passed away, many Iranian officials, including Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressed their condolences on the death of Salah al-Zawawi, the former Palestinian ambassador in Tehran.^{[36][37][38][39][40]}

After the death of his wife Dalaal Al-A'raj, Salah al-Zawawi buried her at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran.^[41][42][43]

Salah al-Zawawi was admitted to a hospital in Tehran due to old age and illness. Finally, he passed away on February 20, 2023, at the age of 86.^{[41][44][5][27][45]} His body was buried in the section of Naam Aavaraan (burying place of famous figures) of the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran.^{[43][46][47][48]}