[3] Bashir's parents stressed nonviolence as a form of resistance,[4] and told him that hatred would not lead to peace.
[1] His family's home was occupied by Israeli soldiers in 2000, during the Second Intifada, due to its proximity to the religious settlement of Kfar Darom.
[1][2][5] That year, Bashir's brother, Yazen, was shot non-fatally by soldiers while putting out a fire in the family's garden.
[8] However, he remained interested in studying in the United States, and in 2006, at age 16, he moved to the US, where he attended school at Wasatch Academy in Utah.
[3] In a review for the Jewish Book Council, Ada Brunstein of the MIT Press noted the omission of any "exploration of the role or methods of Palestinian leadership.
[12] He has lobbied for Palestinian interests and spoken to pro-Israel organizations, including AIPAC, and to Jewish audiences about his personal experiences and to make the case for peace.
[10][13] As of 2022, Bashir was Director of Research & Operations for the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace.