He was born in Jish (also known as Gischala or Gush Halav, in the Galilee in northern Israel.
Trained as a scriptwriter in Tel Aviv, he has written stage plays and scripts for both film and television.
Hlehel has also published novels and short stories in the humorously realistic tradition of Palestinian literature.
His stories have appeared in venues such as Banipal and World Literature Today.
His novels include Au revoir Acre and the award-winning Al-Sirk.