Fuad Saba

Fuad Saba (1902–1984) was a Palestinian accountant, businessman and politician during the Mandatory Palestine. He was one of the early Palestinians who received an accounting certificate. He was among the community leaders of the Arab Anglicans in Palestine. He was also a leading politician in the Mandatory Palestine who attempted to end the Jewish settlement in Palestine.

Early life and education
Saba was born in Shefa-Amr, Ottoman Palestine, on 14 December 1902. He was the son of Reverend Salih Saba and Louisa Meyer. His father was an Anglican pastor.

Saba attended the Orthodox School, the Maronite School, the Frères Secondary School in Haifa and St. George's School in Jerusalem. He obtained a degree in commerce from the American University of Beirut in 1924. Then he continued his studies in accountancy in England.

Career and activities
Following his graduation Saba taught at Catholic Terra Sancta College in Jerusalem for a while. He was qualified as a certified accountant receiving a license from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in the United Kingdom. Then, he and his brother, Aziz, started an accounting company, Saba & Co., in 1926. He was involved in the establishment of the Arab Bank in 1930 and of the Palestinian National Fund. He worked as an auditor of the Arab Bank. Saba's company expanded over time through the opening of branches in Haifa and Jaffa. Its branches were opened later in Beirut, Lebanon, Amman, Jordan, Damascus, Syria, and Baghdad, Iraq. The company opened further branches in Kuwait in 1949 and in Saudi Arabia and Libya in 1957.

Saba was a member of the Palestine Arab Party which opposed the Zionist rule in the region. He founded the Arab Publication Company in Jerusalem in 1935. The company produced two magazines on Arab economic affairs, Arab Economic Affairs (1935–1936) and Palestine and Transjordan (1936–37). The latter was published in English, and both titles were edited by Saba. He also founded the Arab News Agency.

Saba was named as the secretary of the Arab Higher Committee in 1936. He along with other committee members, Hussein Khalidi, Yaqub al-Ghusayn, Ahmed Hilmi Pasha, and Rashid al-Haj Ibrahim, were arrested by the British Mandate rulers on 1 October 1937 immediately after the assassination of Lewis Andrews, a British official. They were not responsible for any act related to the murder, but the British government in Palestine declared that these individuals were "morally responsible" for the incident. They were deported to the Seychelles in HMS Destroyer Active on 1 October and arrived the island 11 October 1937. Their exile ended on 28 December 1938, and they were sent to Cairo.

After his return to Palestine Saba became a member of the Palestinian delegation to the Roundtable Conference at St James's Palace in London in February 1939. During the conference the Palestinian delegation opposed the British White Paper proposals. Saba had to leave Jerusalem after the conference and moved to Beirut where he resided until February 1940 when his return to the city was allowed by the British. He continued to work in his accounting firm and was one of the founders of the Arabia Insurance Company and Al Mashriq Investment Company. He also became a fellow of the Institute of Arbitrators in Palestine during this period. He published a book entitled Income Tax and Its Problems in Palestine in 1947.

Saba was forced to leave Jerusalem after the Nakba in 1948. He settled in Beirut where the headquarters of Saba & Co. was reopened. The company became the most comprehensive accounting firm in the Middle East and merged with Deloitte & Touche in 1990.

Personal life and death
Saba was married to Muhiba Khattar Maluf, and they had three children: two sons, Suhail and Fawzi, and one daughter, Nadia. His wife, Muhiba, was of Lebanese origin. Fawzi Saba died in Barbados on 18 September 2000. His another son, Suhail, died on 8 February 2023.

Fuad Saba died in Beirut on 27 August 1984 and was buried there.