Henry Cattan (1906–April 17, 1992) was a Palestinian jurist and writer who wrote extensively on legal issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the 1900s and was a prominent advocate for the state of Palestine.[1][2]

Biography

Cattan was born in early 1906 in Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire Palestine. He was educated at the University of Paris and the University of London.[2]

After qualifying as a barrister, Cattan established a legal practice in Jerusalem in 1932.[3] He lectured at the Jerusalem Law School[1] from 1932 to 1942,[3] practising law in Palestine and Syria, and was a member of the Palestine Law Council until 1948.

In 1948, Cattan became a refugee during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. He established a new practice in Damascus, Syria, and later in Beirut, Lebanon. Upon the move to Lebanon, Cattan specialized in oil and gas law.[3] ARAMCO and the Trans-Arabian Pipe Line Company had him on retainer for several years to consult on legal issues surrounding the companies' expansion into the Middle East.[2] Cattan later wrote two books on the subject in 1967: The Law of Oil Concessions in the Middle East and North Africa and The Evolution of Oil Concessions in the Middle East and North Africa.[3]

Cattan testified before the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry in 1946.[3] Cattan was a member of the delegation which represented the Arab Higher Committee before the United Nations General Assembly[1] in 1947 and 1948.

Cattan died on April 17, 1992 in Paris.[2]

Selected publications

References

  1. ^ a b c Quigley, John (16 December 2021). The Legality of a Jewish State: A Century of Debate over Rights in Palestine. Cambridge University Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-316-51924-0. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Henry Cattan; Obituary". The Times. 25 May 1992. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e The Palestine Yearbook of International Law. Al-Shaybani Society of International Law. 1992. p. 16. Retrieved 6 February 2024.


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