Barnaby Har-Zahav
| Dr, COLC Barnaby Har-Zahav | |
| ברנבי הר-זהב | |
 Barnaby Har-Zahav giving a speech to the Congress of the Levant, December 1973 | |
| President of the Levantine Commune | |
|---|---|
|
In office 10 June 1965 – 4 January 1976 | |
| Vice President | Kareem Abdul-Nakeeb Sumail |
| Preceded by | Yossi Ben-David Gur |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Member of the Congress of the Levant | |
|
In office 5 January 1950 – 10 June 1965 | |
| Commissar for Foreign Affairs | |
|
In office 5 January 1950 – 10 June 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Tamar Abramov Ziv |
| President of the Communist Authority of the Levant | |
|
In office 4 January 1976 – 14 July 1982 | |
| Succeeded by | Office vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 23, 1921 Haifa, Mandatory Palestine |
| Died | August 12, 1988 (aged 67) Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Kremlin Wall Necropolis |
| Political party | Communist Party of the Levant |
| Spouse(s) | Maya Ziv (1943-death) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
Barnaby Har-Zahav was a Jewish Levantine communist politician, militia leader and the last President of the Levantine Commune from 1965 until its dissolution in 1976. Previously he was a member of the Congress of the Levant and a founding member of the Communist Party of the Levant.
Barnaby Har-Zahav was born in 1921 in Haifa, in the then British Mandatory Palestine, to a Jewish immigrant family. He moved to Jerusalem in 1939 and completed a doctorate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he became a founding member of the Communist Party of the Levant. Following the foundation of the Levantine Commune he became a member of the Congress of the Levant and the Commissar for Foreign Relations. In 1963, he became the leader of the Communist Party of the Levant and became president after the 1965 elections.
His presidency was characterised by a period of increased autonomy for the federal communes, increasing ethnic and religious tensions, an increased level of partnership with the Soviet Union, increased centralisation of the economy and he presided over the country during the Yom Kippur Coup and subsequent Levantine National Schism and 1975 Levant War. He is a controversial figure in Israeli and Palestinian politics with varied opinions on his leadership. While he is credited for advancing the Levantine Commune and industrialising the country to become one of the most developed in the Middle East. His leadership has also been cited as one of the main reasons that the Yom Kippur Coup did not succeed or instantly lead to civil war. However, his centralisation policies and ties to the Soviet Union have been criticised as contributing to rising ethnic and religious tensions in the country.
Barnaby Har-Zahav's politics have been described as Marxist and progressive with his leadership marking a turning point in Levantine economic policy from socialist to full centralisation and communism. Har-Zahav was notable for his support of autonomy for the federal communes and he granted vast powers to the communes including the right to pass laws without the Congress of the Levant's approval for matters relating to criminal law, although this was repealed three years after enactment. He is also noted for being one of the most progressive politicians of the era in LGBT rights, decriminalising homosexuality and allowing for same-sex civil union. On foreign policy, Har-Zahav was a globalist, advocating for the realisation of world communism and increased cooperation between communist countries, particularly a close union with the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact for protection against the United States and anti-communist Arab states.
Following the 1975 Levant War and subsequent dissolution of the Levantine Commune, Har-Zahav led the Provisional Communist Authority in the Levant until 1982 when he voluntarily stepped down due to health problems. He subsequently relocated to Moscow to receive treatment. During his final years, he lived in Moscow with poor health, believed to be due to a combination of overwork, stress, hereditary health issues and cancer. He died of a heart attack on August 12, 1988 and his ashes were buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.
Early life, education and politics
Barnaby Har-Zahav was born to two Jewish immigrant parents in the city of Haifa in Mandatory Palestine. He attended the Hebrew Reali School and became educated in the politics of Palestine. He moved to Jerusalem at 17 and attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he met and became friends with Hassan Nasser, a Palestinian communist, who introduced him to the works of Marx and Lenin. He became a communist and was one of only two dozen founding members of the Communist Party of Palestine, later the Communist Party of the Levant.