At the outset, let me introduce myself. I am Nihad Abu-Gharbieh, President of Ibrahimieh College in Jerusalem and founder of its current lofty edifice. Throughout many decades, I lived with this college and dedicated all my life to it. I started my career with it when it was still in the stage of infancy, and together we persistently moved along in a tedious journey.

That journey was by all measures neither a short nor an easy one. On the contrary, it extended over many decades. We then had a set goal and we were adamantly determined to meet it regardless of any obstacles or hardships we might encounter on the way. That set goal was simply the construction of the college.

Ibrahimieh College was initially established in the academic year 1931/1932 as a small elementary school that consisted of three classes housed in a small humble building at Al-Musrarah Quarter in Jerusalem.

It was founded by three Hebronites: Sheikh Rashed Qawasmi, Sheikh Izziddin As-Sharif and Ibrahim Abdul-Mu'ti Bader. Those three founders gave it the name of "Ibrahimieh National School ".

They chose that designation for it as a good omen after Prophet Abraham in Arabic ("Ibrahim" in Arabic) who lies buried in their home city which locally carries his name. (Hebron is known in Arabic as Al-Khalil which literally means in Arabic "the close friend"   because Prophet Ibrahim is termed in the Holy Quran as the "the close friend of God".)

 In 1932 Sheikh Izziddin As-Sharif, one of the three founders, decided to withdraw from the partnership and to sell his share.

I, Nihad Ulayyan Abu-Gharbieh, was then a teacher at that school.

L expressed my readiness buy Sheikh Sharif’s share and he did sell it to me.

Consequently, I became a partner owning one third of the school.

In the school year 1932/1993, the school moved to an independent neighbourless building in the same quarter. That building consisted then of six rooms with an internal hall and an external courtyard.

In 1933/1934, the school was expanded to include five grades. It had then 125 pupils, seven teachers and a janitor.

In 1934, some misunderstanding took place between Sheikh Rashed Qawasmi and Mr. Ibrahim Bader. It ultimately led to the withdrawal of Ibrahim Bader who sold his share to sheikh Rashed Qawasmi. I bought half of that share from Sheikh Rashed Qawasmi and thus l became the owner of 50% of the school, whereas Sheikh Qawasmi owned the other 50%.

One of the teachers who was then actively working at the school was a physical training teacher called Ahmad Ali Al-Eisawi. At the end of 1934, he organized a sports celebration that was greatly admired by those who attended it and by the residents of Jerusalem at large. That activity secured both a good name and reputation for Ibrahimieh National School.

Sheikh Rashed suggested selling Mr. Ahmad Eisawi one of the four shares we owned together so that we could guarantee the permanent presence of Mr. Eisawi with us.

I unhesitatingly agreed to that and we made the offer to Mr. Eisawi who welcomed it. We documented the sale and purchase transaction officially and Mr. Eisawi became a partner at the school possessing one share out of four in it.

In 1936, the Palestinian revolution against the British mandate forces intensified. The Revolution leaders had taken a decision that the attacks should be launched directly against the British forces.

Their vision was that their victory over the British forces would lead to their eviction from Palestine and would, in that case, enable them to seclude the Jews and win victory over them.

Mr. Ahmad Eisawi joined the revolutionists and consequently stopped attending the school. As for Sheikh Qawasmi, he had by then got a degree in Religious Law and became a religious advocate. This new development made him neglect coming to the school too because he became preoccupied with his new profession as a religious advocate, and the legal proceedings took him away from the school altogether.