Fayez A. Sayegh collection on the Arab-Israeli conflict, 1901-1984

Fayez Abdullah Sayegh was born in 1922 in Kharaba, Syria to Afifa Batruni and Abdullah Sayegh. His father was a Presbyterian minister from Syria while his mother was from al-Bassa, Palestine. The family lived in Tiberias and Sayegh attended school in Safed, both located in modern-day Israel. The family surname is also transliterated as "Sayigh".

Sayegh received a bachelor's degree from the American University of Beirut in 1941 and a master's in 1945. In 1949, he received a Ph.D. in philosophy with a minor in political science from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Sayegh taught at Stanford and Yale Universities, Macalester College, and the American University of Beirut, and was a fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford University, England. With his wife, Arlene Briem Sayegh, Fayez A. Sayegh had one daughter, Reema.

From 1967 until his death in 1980, Dr. Sayegh served as Senior Consultant to the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as a member of the Delegation of Kuwait to the United Nations. He held previous diplomatic posts as Advisor to the Delegation of Lebanon, Counselor of the Yemen Delegation and Minister/Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States, at the United Nations.

An outspoken proponent of human rights, Dr. Sayegh was one of eighteen experts elected (in their personal capacities) in 1969 to the newly-established United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. At the United Nations, Sayegh challenged Israel's arguments and urged the United Nations to uphold international law and human rights for occupied people. He was elected to three successive four-year terms as the Committees Rapporteur.

Sayegh founded the Palestine Research Center in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1965, and was a member of the Palestine National Council. At the Palestinian Research Center, Sayegh helped establish the journal Shu'un Filastiniyya in 1971. The recipient of many honors, Dr. Sayegh was decorated by the President of Lebanon with the Cedar's Medal, rank of Commander, the highest civilian medal offered by the Lebanese Government.

Fayez A. Sayegh was a prolific lecturer and writer. His books and monographs have appeared in translation in sixteen languages. Among his works, the 1965 study Zionist Colonialism in Palestine is credited as developing the concept of Zionist settler colonialism. Other significant English-language works include The Palestinian Refugees (1952), The Arab-Israel Conflict (1956), and The Record of Israel at the United Nations (1957). In addition to writing, Sayegh appeared on American television to comment on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, engaged in debates on the topic, and lectured widely.

Fayez Sayegh died in New York City in December 1980. He was buried in Beirut, Lebanon.

Sources: Killgore, A. (2005). In Memoriam: 25 Years After His Death, Dr. Fayez Sayegh's Towering Legacy Lives On . Washington Report on Middle East Affairs , 22-23.

Fayez Sayigh . (2024). In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 20, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayez_Sayigh