Afterward, al-Rayyis joined the Palestinian Liberation Organization's armed wing and became a leader of the group in Beirut, Lebanon.[1] Along with hundreds of other PLO leaders, he was exiled from Lebanon to Tunisia following the Lebanese Civil War.[3] He returned to Gaza in 1996 and was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council representing Gaza City under the leadership of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and as an adviser of the Palestinian Supreme Court.[1] In January 1997, he was appointed to Fatah's second highest-ranking governing body, the Revolutionary Council.[3]
Al-Rayyis served as the Justice Minister of the Palestinian National Authority's emergency government in October 2003. However, he resigned in 2004 citing new laws passed making it difficult for him and his ministry to operate as well as the increased presence of foreign interests (according to him, this included Israel, the United States, and the European Union).[4]
In addition to politics, he was a well-known poet. Most of his work revolved around the Palestinian political struggle and Palestinian culture. He wrote several songs about Palestinian cities and authored the book Palestine in the Critical Period.[1]
After being hospitalized for deteriorating health, al-Rayyis died in Gaza on April 13, 2010. Following his death, dignitaries from every Palestinian faction (including both Fatah and Hamas—which has de facto control over the Gaza Strip) and some parliamentary blocs extended condolences to al-Rayyis's family.[1]
