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, which is like Israel's parliament. He also leads the Hadash political group.
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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 high grade in New Testament studies in high school. Today, he sees himself as someone who looks beyond religion and ethnic groups.
Education and Family Life
From 1993 to 1997, Ayman Odeh studied law in Romania. He learned Romanian and read about many political thinkers. He earned a law degree from the University of Craiova. In 2001, he was allowed to practice law in Israel.
He met his wife, Nardine Aseli, in 2000. She is a doctor who specializes in women's health. They got married in 2005 and have three children. Ayman Odeh speaks 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. In 2006, he became the secretary-general of the Hadash party.
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Joining the Knesset
Before the 2015 elections, Ayman Odeh was chosen as the new leader of Hadash. Hadash then joined with other main Arab parties to form the Joint List. This was a group of parties working together. Ayman Odeh was placed at the top of their list for the elections. Many people thought his calm and practical approach helped this new political group. He was elected to the 20th Knesset along with 12 other members from the Joint List.
Goals for Arab Communities
In an interview, Ayman Odeh talked about the Joint List's plans for Arab communities. Their goals included helping women find jobs and improving public transportation in Arab towns. They also wanted to recognize Bedouin communities in the Negev desert. Another important goal was to stop violence in these areas. He also said he supported the right of Jewish people to have their own country in Israel. He believed a Palestinian state should offer the same for Arab Palestinians.
Standing Up for His Beliefs
During his 2015 election campaign, Ayman Odeh had a memorable moment. In a TV debate, a foreign minister said Odeh was not welcome in Israel. Odeh replied that he was very welcome in his homeland. He said he was part of the land, unlike the minister who had moved to Israel from another country.
Ayman Odeh is known for being willing to work with Jewish partners. He often quotes Martin Luther King Jr., who was a famous civil rights leader. In the 2020 election, Odeh and the Joint List suggested Benny Gantz for prime minister.
In 2023, after a ceasefire in the Gaza war, Ayman Odeh said he was happy about the release of hostages and prisoners. Later, in May 2025, he made a speech where he said, "Gaza has won and Gaza will win." This led to a petition to remove him from the Knesset. The petition got enough signatures to move forward. In June 2025, a Knesset committee approved it. However, a vote in July 2025 to expel him failed. It needed 90 votes to pass, but only 73 members voted in favor.
Awards and Recognition
Ayman Odeh has received some special recognition:
- He was listed as one of the top 100 leading global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine.
- TheMarker magazine listed him as one of the top 100 influential people in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, he was ranked 9th.
Ayman Odeh's Views
Ayman Odeh believes that Arabs and Jews must work together. He says his time on the Haifa City Council showed him this clearly. He describes Haifa as a very open and diverse city in Israel.
Ayman Odeh strongly supports recognizing the culture of Mizrahi Jews. These are Jews who came to Israel from Arab and Muslim countries. He believes their history and culture have been overlooked. In a speech in 2015, he said that Israel has tried to hide the shared culture between Jews and Arabs. He pointed out that many famous Jews, like Rabbi David Buzaglo and Leila Mourad, were important in Arab culture. He believes this shared history has been forgotten because of the conflict between Arabs and Israelis.
Odeh said that the culture of Jews from Arab and Islamic countries is a shared Jewish and Arab culture. He believes that because of this, the state has tried to suppress it. He also believes that for the same reason, people should work to make it stronger.
Ayman Odeh says, "We represent those who are invisible in this country, and we give them a voice." He also adds that they bring a message of hope to everyone, both Arabs and Jews.
In October 2015, Odeh supported the "unarmed Palestinian struggle." When asked about throwing rocks, he said he supported the First Intifada, which involved protests and rock throwing. In February 2016, he considered leaving the Knesset to protest a bill that would allow members to be suspended.
See also
In Spanish: Ayman Odeh para niños
