James Abourezk, first Arab-American US senator, dies aged 92

Anti-Discrimination Committee founder an outspoken critic of US foreign policy in Middle East

James Abourezk, the first Arab American to serve in the US Senate, died at age 92. AP

James Abourezk, the first Arab American to serve in the US Senate and the founder of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, has died aged 92.

Mr Abourezk died at his home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the weekend after entering hospice care last week.

“The community has lost a true leader and generational figure for Arab Americans,” ADC chairman Safa Rifka said in a statement.

“He was always an integral part of our community, significantly contributing to the story of Arab Americans. He was a generous trailblazer, paving the way for others with his leadership.”

Mr Abourezk, the son of Lebanese immigrants, was born in South Dakota in 1931 and would go on to serve as the state's US representative in 1970. In 1972, he became the country's first Arab-American US senator, a position he held until 1979.

As a senator, Mr Abourezk led a delegation to Cuba, where he attended a Cuban national basketball team game and met Fidel Castro.

He was known for his support of Native Americans, and he produced pieces of legislation including the Indian Child Welfare Act, which aimed to give tribal governments exclusive jurisdiction over the removal of Native American children from their families in foster care or adoption cases.

Mr Abourezk was also a frequent critic of US foreign policy in the Middle East, most notably Washington's position in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In an op-ed published in The New York Times in 1975, Mr Abourezk wrote that peace cannot be enduring in the region unless Palestinians “have been settled in a homeland of their own”.

James Abourezk, right, speaks with South Dakota Senator George McGovern during a meeting in Washington on February 23, 1971. AP

“There is no way I know of to negotiate a settlement without the inclusion of the Palestinians,” he wrote.

After choosing not to seek re-election, Mr Abourezk in 1980 founded the ADC, a grassroots organisation aimed at defending the rights of Arab Americans and combating stereotypes affecting the community.

Mr Abourezk is survived by his wife Sanaa, his four children, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The Associated Press contributed to this report