 Complete the following phrase:  Bassam Shakaa was a member of one of the most distinguished families in Nablus. He became a member of the Jordanian regional branch of the Baath Party in the early 1950s and as a consequence was wanted by Jordanian authorities, forcing him to flee to Syria. He was one of the fierce critics of Syrias independence from the United Arab Republic and after being jailed by the Syrian authorities following his resignation from the Baath Party because of the 