Ayman Odeh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ayman Odeh
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Odeh in 2021
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| Faction represented in the Knesset | |
| 2015–2019 | Joint List |
| 2019 | Hadash |
| 2019–2022 | Joint List |
| 2022– | Hadash |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1975 Haifa, Israel |
Ayman Aadil Odeh (Arabic: أيمن عادل عودة; Hebrew: אַיְּימָן עַאדֶל עוֹדֶה; born 1 January 1975) is an Arab Israeli lawyer and politician. He is a member of the Knesset (Israel's parliament) and leads the Hadash political party.
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About Ayman Odeh
Ayman Odeh was born in 1975 in Haifa, Israel. He grew up in the Kababir neighborhood. His father worked in construction. Even though his family was Muslim, his parents sent him to a Christian school. He was the only Muslim student there. He even got a top grade in New Testament studies in high school. Today, he sees himself as someone who looks beyond religion and background.
His Education and Family
From 1993 to 1997, Ayman Odeh studied law in Romania at the University of Craiova. While studying, he joined rallies that supported Palestinians. He also learned the Romanian language and read books by important political thinkers. He earned a law degree and became a certified lawyer in Israel in 2001.
Odeh is married to Nardine Aseli, who is a doctor specializing in women's health. They have three children together. He can speak Arabic, Hebrew, English, and Romanian.
Ayman Odeh's Political Journey
Ayman Odeh joined the Hadash political party. He served on the Haifa City Council from 1998 to 2005. This council helps manage the city of Haifa. In 2006, he became the main leader of the Hadash party.
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He ran for the Knesset (Israel's parliament) in 2009 and 2013, but his party did not win enough seats for him to enter at those times.
Leading the Joint List
Before the 2015 elections, the leader of Hadash stepped down. Ayman Odeh was then chosen as the new leader of the party. For the 2015 elections, Hadash joined with other main Arab parties to form an alliance called the Joint List. Ayman Odeh was chosen to lead this new group. Many people believed his calm and friendly style helped make the Arab political group seem more open and practical. He was elected to the 20th Knesset along with 12 other members from the Joint List.
His Goals and Views
In an interview, Odeh talked about the Joint List's plans to help Arab communities. This included:
- Helping more women find jobs.
- Improving local councils that were struggling.
- Recognizing Bedouin communities in the Negev desert that were not officially recognized.
- Improving public transportation in Arab towns.
- Working to stop violence.
He also said he supports the right of Jewish people to have their own country in Israel. He believes a Palestinian state should offer the same for Arab Palestinians.
During his 2015 election campaign, Ayman Odeh had a memorable moment in a TV debate. Israel's foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, called Odeh a "Palestinian citizen" and said he was not welcome in Israel. Odeh replied, "I am very welcome in my homeland. I am part of the nature, the surroundings, the landscape." He pointed out that he was born in Israel, while Lieberman had moved there from another country.
Ayman Odeh is now seen as an important figure in Israeli politics. He is known for being willing to work with Jewish politicians. He often quotes Martin Luther King Jr., showing his belief in peaceful cooperation. In the 2020 election, Odeh and the Joint List supported Benny Gantz for prime minister.
Awards and Recognition
Ayman Odeh has been recognized for his influence:
- He was listed among the top 100 leading global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine.
- He was listed among the top 100 influential people by TheMarker magazine in 2016 (at 9th place) and again in 2017.
Ayman Odeh's Beliefs
Ayman Odeh believes that Arabs and Jews must work together. He learned this while serving on the Haifa City Council. He describes Haifa as a city where many different cultures live together peacefully.
He strongly supports recognizing the culture of Mizrahi Jews (Jews from Arab and Muslim lands) and the history of Arab Jews. In a speech to the Knesset in 2015, he said that Israel has sometimes ignored the culture of these Jews. He believes this happened to create a false idea that Jews and Arabs are naturally separate. He also pointed out that Jews played a big part in Arab culture throughout history. He called for a new Knesset committee to help bring back the focus on the culture of Jews from Arab and Muslim countries. He said, "The culture of the Jews of Arab and Islamic countries is a shared Jewish and Arab culture. Because of this, the state has fought [against] it, and yet because of this [same reason], we must fight to strengthen it."
Odeh says, "We represent those who are invisible in this country, and we give them a voice. We also bring a message of hope to all people, not just to the Arabs, but to the Jews, too."
In October 2015, Odeh supported peaceful Palestinian protests. When asked about throwing rocks, he said he supported the First Intifada, which included such actions as a form of protest. In February 2016, he considered leaving the Knesset to protest a new law that allowed suspending members of parliament.
Images for kids
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Odeh in 2021
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Ayman Odeh meeting with people at his home in Haifa in April 2021. They asked him to join a new government to prevent Benjamin Netanyahu from staying as prime minister.
See also
In Spanish: Ayman Odeh para niños
