Hamze Awawde (born 1990)[1] is a Palestinian peace activist.
Early life and education
editAwawde grew up in the West Bank city of Dura.[2] His family is a prominent one in the Hebron area; his grandfather was a Fatah official.[2][3] During the Second Intifada, part of Awawde's home was destroyed by IDF soldiers, who thought a terrorist was hiding in the building.[3]
Awawde earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics from Birzeit University, and a master's degree in global community development from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[2][4]
Activism
editIn 2011, Awawde joined the Facebook group YaLa Young Leaders, a project organized by the Peres Center for Peace, which was meant to be a space for Israelis and Palestinians to connect on an individual basis.[5] Awawde remained with the group as they expanded,[6] and later became a part of their leadership and organized some programs for them.[4][7]
In 2014, through a program called New Story Leadership, Awawde traveled to the United States, where he lived in Washington D.C. with an Israeli program participant.[2][3] At the time, he was an intern at Americans for Peace Now.[2][3][8] Awawde and his housemate developed a close friendship that the two aimed to continue when they returned home.[2]
Awade works for Hands of Peace as Regional Manager of the Palestinian Delegation.[4]
In November 2023, Awawde co-organized Building Bridges, Together for Humanity, a joint Israeli-Palestinian anti-hate event in London.[9]
He has described himself as a "nationalist pro-Palestinian" who supports a two-state solution and opposes the BDS movement.[3]
Personal life
editAs of 2023, Awawde lives in Ramallah.[9][10] He is Muslim.[11]
References
edit- ^ Awawde, Hamze (2012-06-27). "The new Palestinian". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ a b c d e f Ober, Lauren (2014-07-25). "In a Washington home, an Israeli man and a Palestinian man are learning to live side-by-side". The World. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Guttman, Nathan (2014-07-10). "Israeli and Palestinian Roommates Find Common Ground — Far From Home". The Forward. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ a b c "Our Team Bios". Hands of Peace. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ Bronner, Ethan (2011-07-09). "Virtual Bridge Allows Strangers in Mideast to Seem Less Strange". The New York Times.
- ^ Greenberg, Joel (2012-01-23). "Israel-Arab youth take peace talks to Facebook". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ McGlynn, Clara (October 2014). "Palestinians and Israelis Tell a New Story Despite the Conflict". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs: 36–38. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ "WATCH: APN former intern Hamze Awawde with YaLa and the Aileen Getty School of Citizen Journalism". peacenow.org. 2015-11-20. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ a b Lough, Catherine (2023-11-28). "Bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families to march together in anti-hate vigil". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ Shehadi, Lemma (2023-11-28). "Brendan Cox takes new peace movement onto London's streets". The National. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ Awawde, Hamze (2014-07-09). "Far from family in West Bank: A very different Ramadan". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-29.