Riah Abu El-Assal
رياح أبو العسل
Born: Nazareth, Palestine
Domain: Civil Society & Religion
Recognition: REGIONAL
Biography
Riah Hanna Abu El-Assal, born in Nazareth in 1937, is a Palestinian Anglican cleric who served as the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem from 1997 to 2007, the thirteenth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East. A leading figure of Palestinian Christianity within Israel, he combined pastoral leadership with decades of activism for justice, reconciliation, and interfaith understanding. Before his episcopate he served for some twenty-seven years as rector of Christ Church in Nazareth, where he built educational and community institutions, including the Bishop Riah Educational Campus, strengthening the civic and educational fabric of the Arab community in the Galilee. Abu El-Assal was politically engaged as well, taking part in the Progressive List for Peace, a joint Jewish-Arab political party active in the 1980s, reflecting his belief in shared civic life and coexistence between peoples. He became a recognized voice in international interfaith dialogue. In 2002 he was among the religious leaders involved in the Alexandria Declaration, in which senior Christian, Muslim, and Jewish figures committed to working together to resolve the conflict, a landmark in regional interfaith peacemaking. Through his ministry, educational work, and interfaith leadership, Abu El-Assal has stood as one of the most prominent Palestinian Christian clergy of his era, advocating a faith deeply engaged with justice, reconciliation, and the dignity of the Palestinian people.
Why This Person Matters
As Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem and a Galilee community-builder, Abu El-Assal embodied an activist Palestinian Christianity rooted in justice, education, and interfaith reconciliation.