List of Palestinians

The following is a list of prominent Palestinians.

Academic figures

• Rateb Abu-Eid, "Bobby Eid," nuclear scientist, Senior Advisor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Rami Abuhabsah, biologist
• Nadia Abu El Haj, anthropologist
• Sami Hadawi, land specialist and researcher
• Ibrahim Abu Lughod, sociologist
• Salman Abu Sitta
• Naseer Aruri, academic
• Kamil J. Asali, historian
• Abdul Karim Ayyoub, educator, linguist & poet.
• Sameer Ayyoub, academic, Ph.D., MSc. Eng.
• Kiran Banerjee, philosopher and scientist
• Hanna Batatu, historian
• Hanna Dahoud Saah, well-known attorney from Ramallah (died in Washington, DC in 2002)
• Samih Farsoun, sociologist
• Ismail al-Faruqi, philosopher and comparative religions professor
• Leila Farsakh, Middle East, politics
• Mujid S. Kazimi, nuclear physicist
• Rashid Khalidi, historian
• Walid Khalidi, historian
• Hanania Michael Hanania, Supreme Court Judge
• Salem Hanna Khamis, economic statistician
• Marwan Kishek, Ph.D.,P.E., P.Eng., structural engineering
• Rami Kishek, Ph.D., scientist
• Khaled Mardam-Bey, programmer
• Nur Masalha, academic, historian, editor
• Joseph Massad, academic
• al-Muqaddasi, medieval geographer
• Bashar Nuseibeh, academic, computer scientists
• Sari Nusseibeh, philosopher, diplomat
• Mazin Qumsiyeh, geneticist
• Mohieldin Quttainah, academic
• Mohamed Rabie, academic
• John Adib Saah, aerospace engineer (NASA and USAF)
• Edward Said, professor of comparative literature, intellectual, and Palestinian Nationalist
• Rosemarie Said Zahlan, historian
• Ahmed Saidan, mathematician
• Elias Sanbar, historian
• Anis Sayigh, historian
• Yezid Sayigh, historian
• Yusif Sayigh, economist
• Hisham Sharabi, intellectual
• Qustandi Shomali, Professor, Historian, Critic, Researcher
• Ahmad Teebi, geneticist and dysmorphologist
• Hasan Yahya, 2Ph.Ds,Philosopher, Professor of Sociology.
• Moeen Zahdan, accountant
• Walter Gomes, economist
• Wael Suleiman, medical doctor

Cultural figures

Writers

• Ali Abunimah, author, journalist
• Said K. Aburish, author, journalist
• Siham Ardah, poet and writer
• Ridyan Ayyad, logic journalist, ethics author

• Moen Besiso, poet
• Mourid Barghouti, poet
• Khalil Beidas, author
• Razanne Carmey, playwright
• Mahmoud Darwish, poet

• Emile Habibi, author
• Suheir Hammad, poet
• Nathalie Handal, poet, editor
• Nadia Hijab, author, journalist
• Sabri Jiryis, author

• Remi Kanazi, poet
• Ghassan Kanafani, author
• Hasan Karmi, linguist and author
• Ghada Karmi, author
• Widad Kawar, author and collector
• Sahar Khalifa, novelist
• Daoud Kuttab, journalist, author

• Taha Muhammad Ali, poet
• Nur Masalha, author, editor
• Kamal Nasser, poet, activist
• Mohammed Omer, journalist
• Samih al-Qasim, poet
• Abu Salma, poet
• Raji Sahyoun, broadcaster, writer
• Khalil al-Sakakini, author
• Abu Salma, poet
• Azeez Shaheen, author
• Naomi Shihab Nye, poet (Palestinian father)
• Nadia Shabana, academic
• Serene Husseini Shahid, author, philanthropist, researcher and collector of Palestinian costumes

• Fadwa Toukan, poet
• Ibrahim Touqan, poet, writer of the poem Mawtini, the current national anthem of Iraq
• Samir El Youssef, writer and critic
• Hasan A. Yahya Author, poet and theorist.[Ana Lastu Bisha'irin Jada al-Qawafi----Al-Hubbu Antaqani, Alaysa al-Hubbu Bikafi" Meaning "I am not a poet, but Love made me one" authored 20 books, including two poetry, diwans. His recent book: Arab Palestinians and Jews-2009-Amazon.
• Tawfiq Ziad, poet
• May Ziade, author

Stage and screen

• Hany Abu-Assad, film director
• Sasha Abunnadi, pageant
• Fouad Awad, prominent theatre director
• Hassan Awayti, actor (Altaghreba Alfalastinia, Ashtar and many others...)
• Baha Swidan, clown (Clowns Without Borders)
• Muhammad Bakri, film director
• Hazim Bitar, film director
• Razanne Carmey, playwright, theatre director
• Jamal Dajani, television producer
• Hanna Elias, film director (The Olive Harvest)
• Maryse Gargour, film director

• Azza Hasan, film director
• Nizar Hasan, film director
• Rami Hanna, actor (Altaghreba Alfalasinia, Ahlam Kabira)

• Annemarie Jacir, film director, writer
• Emily Jacir, film director
• Aron Kader, comedian
• Michel Khleifi, film director (Wedding in Galilee)
• Rashid Masharawi, film director
• Mahmoud Al-Massad, film director
• Mai Masri, film director
• Riad Masarweh, playwright, theatre director
• Atallah Mansour, journalist and writer who wrote political and historical books in Arabic, Hebrew and English
• Izidore Musallam, film director
• Hanna Musleh, film director

• Najawa Najjar, film director
• Rosalind Nashashibi, film director

• Omar Al-Qattan, film director
• Ammar Quttaineh, film director

• Nadine Salameh, actress (Ru’aa Halima or Vision of a Dreamer)
• Jacqueline Salloum, film director
• Leila Sansour, film director
• Isma’il Shamout, painter
• Elia Suleiman, film director (Divine Intervention)

• Nisreen Tafesh, actress (Altaghreba Alfalastinia, Rabiye Qortoba)

• Tawfik Abu Wael, film director (Atash)

• Sobhi Al-Zobaidi, film director
• Fu’ad Zentut, film director
• Osama Al-Zain, film director

Musicians

• Abdelmonim Amayri, actor
• Ibrahim Azzam, singer
• Mona Azzam, singer/songwriter
• Jawad Al-Neel, singer
• Riad Bandak, composer
• Rim Banna, singer/songwriter
• El-Funoun, dance company

• Faisal Abu Ghaben, musician
• Ammar Hasan, singer
• Issa Boulos, compose, 'ud player, songwriter
• Mohammad Jamal, singer
• Samir Joubran, oud player
• Khaled Jubran, composer, buzuq and oud player خالد جبران
• Kamilya Jubran, singer and oud player

• Shafiq Kabha, singer,
• Reem Kelani, singer
• Ismail Khader, singer
• Ibrahim Khalifeh, singer and composer

• Ahmad Madaneyyah, singer
• Sabri Mahmoud, singer
• Basem Mohamad, 18th century musician
• Amal Murkus, singer

• Ribhi Rabah, singer
• Salim Sahab, orchestra conductor and composer
• Adel Salameh, oud player, composer
• Rawhi Shaheen, composer
• Simon Shaheen, oud virtuoso, composer
• Tariq Shadid, singer/songwriter, composer
• Adnan Shehab, singer
• Massiv, rapper

• Habib Hassan Touma, composer
• Mohammad Wahib, singer
• Ahmed EL-khatib, actor

Visual artists

• Naji al-Ali, cartoonist
• Waleed Ayyoub, plastic & portrait painter and interior design engineer
• Nasr Abdel Aziz Eleyan, artist
• Bissan Rafe Qasrawi, artist, painter and cartoonist
• Imad Hajjaj, cartoonist
• Mustafa Al-Hallaj, artist
• Mona Hatoum, sculptor
• Hasan Hourani, painter
• Emily Jacir, painter and photographer, artist
• Hanna Jubran, sculptor
• Omayya Joha, cartoonist
• Khalil Rabah, artist
• Hanna Safieh, photographer
• Steve Sabella, http://www.jerusalem-in-exile.net photographer, artist
• Sama Raena Alshaibi, photographer, artist
• Ahlam Shibli, photographer
• Vera Tamari, ceramic artist
• Jafar Tukan, architect
• Sama Raena Alshaibi, artist
• Hisham Zreiq, artist
• Mahmoud NAJJAR, Graphic Designer http://www.Mahmoud.cc

Alternative contemporary artists

• Silverdegree, Palestinian Christian hip-hop group [1]
• DAM, Palestinian hip-hop group [2]
• Fredwreck, Palestinian-American West Coast rap producer
• DJ Khaled, Palestinian-American hip-hop DJ
• Sameh Zakout, hip-hop artist
• Tamer Nafar, hip-hop artist
• Waiel "Wally" Yaghnam, St. Louis-based, Grammy-nominated hip-hop producer, co-founder of Basement Beats, and Produced hits for Nelly and the St. Lunatics.
• Niz-r, rapper
• Jaffa Phonix, band
• Waleed Hamed, Palestinian-American music producer and founder of the still-in-development Waleeds Beats.
• Belly, Palestinian-Canadian rap hip-hop artist.

Business

• Mohammed Nusseibeh - prominent businessman
• Abdul Hameed Shoman, Arab Bank
• Mansur Barbari, Barbari Group Inc.
• Yousef Beidas, Intra Bank
• Munib al-Masri, PADICO[3]
• Hasib Sabbagh, Consolidated Contractors International Company
• Naim Attallah, Asprey, Quartet Publishing
• Talal Abu-Ghazaleh
• Khalid Bahhur First Palestinian Born Airport Commissioner in the U.S.

Political figures

Fatah

• Mahmoud Abbas, Current President of the Palestinian National Authority
• Nabil Amr, presidential aide and negotiator
• Yasser Arafat, First President of the PNA
• Hakam Balawi, former ambassador of PLO to Tunisia and Algeria
• Marwan Barghouti, founder of Tanzim and senior Fatah opposition figure
• Mohammed Dahlan, Head of Preventive Security Service in Gaza
• Saeb Erekat, presidential aide and senior negotiator
• Qadura Fares, PNA minister and aide of Barghouti
• Rawhi Fattuh, former interim President of the PNA
• Faisal Husseini, former head of Jerusalem affairs
• Farouk Kaddoumi, head of Fatah
• Salah Khalaf, former top aide of Arafat
• Ahmad al-Khatib
• Mahmoud al-Khatib, educator, one of Fatah founders, Head of Western Apparatus in Department of Occupied Homeland Affairs
• Ahmed Qurei, former Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
• Ali Hassan Salameh
• Nabil Shaath, former Foreign Affairs Minister
• John Sununu, former Chief of Staff Pres. George H. Bush Administration
• John Sununu, Senator New Hampshire
• Khalil al-Wazir, former PLO military leader and top aide of Arafat

Hamas

• Muhammad Abu Tir
• Mohammad Barghouti
• Mohammed Deif - Leader of Hamas' military wing
• Ismail Haniyeh
• Ahmed al-Ja'abari
• Wasfi Kabha - Prisoners' Affairs Minister
• Khaled Meshaal - Secretary-General of Hamas
• Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, founder and former Secretary-General of Hamas
• Ahmed Yassin, founder and spiritual leader
• Mahmoud al-Zahar, former Foreign Affairs Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, Hamas foreign minister
• Hadem Rida, mayor of Jenin
• Nizar Ryan

PFLP

• Bassam Abu Sharif, former spokesperson of PFLP and PLO
• George Habash, founder and former Secretary-General of PFLP
• Abu Ali Mustafa, former Secretary-General of PFLP
• Leila Khaled, former PFLP militant and activist
• Imad Khaled
• Ahmed Saadat, current Secretary-General of PFLP
• Riyad al-Malki, current Foreign Affairs Minister of PNA

Other

• Haidar Abdel-Shafi, independent, head of Palestinian delegation to Madrid Peace Conference of 1991
• Salah Abdel-Shafi, independent, economist, Palestinian Ambassador to Sweden
• Abu Abbas, PLF
• Hanan Ashrawi, Third Way
• Hasan Tahboub, former Head of the Supreme Islamic Council
• Nayef Hawatmeh, DFLP
• Ahmed Jibril, PFLP-GC
• Yousef Al-Khalidi, Ottoman era
• Abu Nidal, Abu Nidal Organization
• Afif Safieh, Palestine's Ambassador to the Russian Federation
• Samir Hleileh, Chief of the PA Cabinet, 2005
• Musa Alami
• Nimr al-Khatib, political leader, Haifa
• Awni Abd al-Hadi, Palestinian political figure
• Ahmad Shukairy, PLO founder

Mayors

• Fahmi al-Abboushi, appointed Mayor of Jenin in 1935
• Hussein Al-Araj, former mayor of Nablus
• Omar Hammayil, mayor of al-Bireh
• Janet Mikhail, mayor of Ramallah
• Mohammed Milhim, former mayor of Halhul
• Hadem Rida, mayor of Jenin
• Bassam Shaka, former mayor of Nablus,
• Ghassan Shakaa, former mayor of Nablus,
• Adly Yaish, mayor of Nablus
• Kareem Khalaf, mayor of Ramallah. 1978
• Saleh Arif Azzouqa, elected mayor of jenin from 1959 to 1963 (during the jordanian rule of west bank)
• Isam Fuad Nazzal, elected mayor of Qabatiya (Jenin Governorate)

Politicians in Israel

See Also: Arab members of the Knesset

• Azmi Bishara - former member of Israeli Knesset, from the Balad party
• Jamal Zahalka - member of Israeli Knesset, from the Balad party
• Wasil Taha - member of Israeli Knesset, from the Balad party
• Hana Sweid- member of Israeli Knesset with Hadash and mayor of Eilabun
• Tawfiq Ziad - poet, mayor of Nazareth and Hadash member of Israeli Knesset
• Ibrahim Sarsur, Kneseet member Israel from the United Arab List party
• Taleb el-Sana, Kneseet member Israel from the United Arab List party
• Ahmed Tibi - member of Israeli Knesset from the Ta'al party

Foreign

• Rania of Jordan, Queen of Jordan, wife of King Abdullah II
• Alia al Hussein, late Queen of Jordan, 3rd wife of King Hussein
• Antonio Saca, president of El Salvador
• Shafik Handal, El Salvador politician
• Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize
• Pierre de Bané, Canadian
• Naser Khader, member of the Parliament of Denmark
• Ziyadeh Zahdan, political advisor for the Clinton Administration
• Joe Hockey, Australian cabinet minister
• Carlos Robertor Flores Facussé,Former President of Honduras

Activists

• Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of ISM
• Mubarak Awad, advocate of nonviolent resistance
• Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, Islamist scholar & activist
• Mustafa Barghouti, human rights activist
• Bulus Farah, trade unionist
• Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, nationalist leader
• Rauda Morcos, LGBTQ activist and co-founder of ASWAT
• Rima Anabtawi Co-founder Al-Awda
• Elias Davidsson, founder of the Iceland-Palestine organization and a human rights activist

Religious figures

Christianity

• Archbishop Theodosios (Hanna) of Sebastia, current Archbishop of Sebastia for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
• Riah Abu Assal, current Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem
• Faik Haddad, first Palestinian Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem
• Naim Ateek, founder of Sabeel
• Elias Chacour, Archbishop of Galilee, of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church
• Musa Abuali, Independent Baptist Church in the Holy Land
• Michel Sabah, current Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
• Munib Younan, Lutheran bishop
• Rifat Odeh Kassis, human rights and community activist
• Ibrahim Ayyad, member of legislative council and PLO

Islam

• Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali al-Quttainah, Hanbali Judge of Jerusalem
• Amin al-Husayni, former Mufti of Jerusalem
• Ibn Qudamah, Hanbali jurist
• Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, current Mufti of Jerusalem
• Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi`i, founder of the Shafi fiqh of Sunni Islam; born in Gaza
• Ahmad Abu Laban, Imam in Denmark
• Raed Salah, leader of the Northern branch of the Islamic Movement
• Sheikh Taissir Tamimi, Head of Islamic court in Palestinian territories

Sports

• Munir Abu Kishek, lightweight boxer (Asian Games bronze medalist)
• Nizar Taleb, full contact kickboxer (World Championships WKA gold medalist)

Other

• Muhammad al-Durrah - 12-year old boy shot on the second day of the Al-Aqsa Intifada
• Fatma Omar An-Najar - 64-year old grandmother and oldest Palestinian suicide bomber
• Faris Odeh - teenage boy shot while throwing stones
• Sirhan Sirhan - assassin of Robert Kennedy
• Abu Anas al-Shami - second-in-command for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Jama'at al-Tawhid wal Jihad group in Iraq

External links

• Palestine Facts: Personalities
• Palestinian Artists