Akel biltaji biography

1941 -2021

“In my life, I have never met anyone that had as many friends as Aqel; he always spoke positively about the people he knew,” Dr. Graham Leonard.

Aqel Biltaji was born in Gaza, Palestine, the family moved around Palestine because of his father’s work with the Palestinian Police under the British Mandate.

The family moved to Hebron as refugees due to the war in 1948. Aqel attended the Ramallah Friends Boy School during his high school years, and during that time, Dr. Graham Leonard first met Aqel in 1950.

Dr. Leonard reflected, "I was Aqel’s English teacher, I remember back then that Aqel was the first to raise his hand in class, respond, and react.

It was clear to me that he was thinking independently and not just memorizing. He was very popular in class with the other students and the center of the fun."

By 1955 Aqel had become a teacher of the younger students at the Friends School, and always joined me during the “Young Friends” group outings for daily sightseein