This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.Ali Abu Awwad (Arabic: علي أبو عواد, born 1972) is a prominent Palestinian peace activist and proponent of nonviolence.

[1] Awwad's story and efforts have been featured in over twelve documentaries including two award-winning films, Encounter Point and Forbidden Childhood[permanent dead link‍].

[4] Refugees from Al-Qubayba near Bayt Jibrin, Awwad's family was forced off their land in the 1948 Palestine war (The Nakba) and subsequently settled in Beit Ummar.

Awwad, born in Halhoul[4] in Hebron Governorate in the West Bank, was raised in a politically active family and at a young age, following in his mother's footsteps, became a member of Fatah.

First arrested while studying for secondary exams (after an Israeli helicopter observer reported seeing him throw stones), Awwad refused to pay a 1,500 shekel fine, stating later that, although a stone-thrower, he had not participated that day.

[6] Eight months later, he took part in the First Intifada as a teenager, and was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of stone-throwing, throwing Molotov cocktails, and being active in a military cell.

According to Awwad, his major crime consisted in refusing to cooperate with his interrogators who wanted information concerning his mother's political activities.

[4] The success of the strike was a turning point: "When we succeeded, it transformed my political mind; I realised that another, non-violent, way to achieve my rights existed.

[4] Yousef's tragedy marked another turn in Awwad's personal and political life: "My brother wasn't a criminal or a terrorist, he was my best friend, a beautiful man who had two kids who he wanted to raise," he recalls.

Their connection resulted in a years-long world tour, the two activists arguing that peace can only occur if reconciliation takes place between the victims.

"I began a complex, painful journey in non-violence and reconciliation, touring almost 40 countries and speaking out in order to bring this message.

Acting upon those principles first with the hunger strike and later by founding and organizing Taghyeer, Awwad sees nonviolence as manifesting a lifestyle of successfully defending one's rights.

[5] On 24 September 2016, Taghyeer organized a mass demonstration in support of "nonviolent transformation" for over 3,000 Palestinian men, women, and children hailing from areas throughout the West Bank.

[6] They have been on several international tours together, speaking about their stories of personal transformation and building awareness of their efforts to forge reconciliation and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.

"[18] After meeting Awwad, among other Palestinians, Schlesinger underwent a reconfiguration of his political and spiritual self: "When you only live among your own and only know your own narrative, you are naturally very suspicious of the other who is just an intruder and just a thorn in your side and something that doesn't belong there," he says.

"[15] David Shulman has cited Awwad as one of three exponents of satyagraha active on the West bank, together with Abdallah Abu Rahmah and the Israeli peace activist Ezra Nawi [16].

Yet even for Awwad, dialogue work merely scratches the surface of what is required to bring dignity, security, and peace to the Holy Land.