Fayez Sayegh (1922–1980) was an Arab-American diplomat, scholar and teacher. He was one of the most significant scholars who developed various analyses on the Palestinian resistance movement against Zionism.[1]
As a child, Sayegh moved with his family to Tiberias and went to school in Safed.[5] He received his bachelor's degree from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 1941 and his master's degree from the same university in 1945.[2] In 1949, he earned his Ph.D. in philosophy, with a minor in political science, from Georgetown University.[6][7]
Sayegh established the Palestine Research Center in Beirut in 1965 and served as its director-general for one year.[6][7] The center published his historical study entitled Zionist Colonialism in Palestine in 1965.[9] His brother, Anes, succeeded Fayez as the director-general of the Palestine Research Center in 1966.[7][10]
Sayegh was instrumental in the establishment of Shu'un Filastiniyya which was started by the Palestine Research Center in 1971.[1] He was the major contributor of the United Nations General Assembly's Resolution 3379 adopted in 1975.[1] The resolution supported the view that Zionism is a form of racism.[1] After this event he acted as the most visible spokesperson of the Palestinian cause.[1]
Sayegh was one of the early scholars who analyzed the negative effects of the sectarianism in Lebanon.[12] For him these effects of sectarianism emerged as a result of the popular life and popular consciousness, not of the historical events.[12] He argued that not only a political change but also a social change should occur for the unified Arab societies.[10]
Sayegh was the first scholar who developed the concept of the Zionist settler colonialism.[13][14] He argued that Palestinians would never accept "a fraction of rights in a fraction of their homeland."[15] He defined the racial principles of Zionismasself-segregation, exclusiveness, and supremacy which are the elements of segregation.[1] These elements are the central characteristic of apartheid.[1]
He challenged Israel's arguments in the UN, asserting that resolutions regarding occupied territories need not be "two-sided" since there is only one set of occupied territories.[16][17] Sayegh expressed empathy for all who suffer foreign occupation, urging UN delegates to uphold international law and human rights. Against this background, he rejected the notion of Palestinian exceptionalism, emphasizing universal principles and the importance of applying them consistently.
^ abcdefMichael R. Fischbach (2005). "Sayigh (family)". In Philip Mattar (ed.). Encyclopedia of the Palestinians. New York: Facts on File Inc. p. 440. ISBN9780816069866.
