BEIRUT (AP) — Elias Khoury, a renowned Lebanese novelist who devoted much of his work to advocating for the Palestinian people, has passed away at the age of 76. He was highly regarded as one of Lebanon’s leading intellectuals and had taught at various universities internationally.
Khoury, a prominent figure in Arab literature, had been battling illness for several months, experiencing multiple hospitalizations within the past year until he died early on a Sunday morning, as reported by Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a newspaper he contributed to.
Born and raised in Beirut, Khoury was a strong advocate for free speech and was known for his sharp critiques of authoritarian regimes throughout the Middle East.
Over the past fifty years, in addition to his novels, he wrote numerous articles for various Arab media outlets, gaining a significant following across the Arab world.
Just two days after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Khoury published an article in Al-Quds Al-Arabi titled “It’s Palestine.” In this piece, he referred to Gaza as “the biggest open-air prison” and stated that it had initiated a conflict with Israel, prompting settlers to evacuate.
Born on July 12, 1948, Khoury was known for his political views that included strong support for the Palestinian cause and criticism of what he described as Israel’s “brutal” settlement practices in the occupied Palestinian territories. He attended Lebanese University and later pursued a PhD in social history at the University of Paris.
He famously noted, “The Catastrophe began in 1948 and it is still going on,” highlighting the ongoing consequences of Israel’s settlement policies. The term “nakba,” meaning “catastrophe,” is commonly used by many Arabs to refer to the mass displacement of Palestinians that occurred during the creation of Israel in 1948.
Khoury was also a passionate supporter of the Arab uprisings that began in 2011 and led to the downfall of several long-standing governments.
After the uprisings that ousted leaders like Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia, he remarked, “The question is not why the Arab revolts occurred, but rather how fear constructed Arab kingdoms of silence for fifty years.”
Coming from a Greek Orthodox Christian family, Khoury actively participated in Lebanon’s civil war from 1975 to 1990, during which he sustained injuries in battles.
From 1992 to 2009, he served as the editor of the cultural section of An-Nahar, Lebanon’s leading newspaper. At the time of his passing, he was also the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Studies magazine, published by the Institute for Palestine Studies in Beirut.
Khoury published his first novel in 1975, but it was his second novel, *Little Mountain*, released in 1977, that gained widespread acclaim; it focused on Lebanon’s devastating civil war. His 2000 novel, *Bab al-Shams* (Gate of the Sun), dealt with the experiences of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon since 1948, and it was later adapted into a film in Egypt.
His works have been translated into multiple languages, including Hebrew, further extending his influence. Additionally, Khoury taught at several prestigious universities, including New York University, Columbia, Princeton, the University of Houston, and the University of London.
