Arna Mer-Khamis (; 20 March 1929 – 15 February 1995) was an Israeli Jewish political and human rights activist. In 1993, she was awarded the

Right Livelihood Award The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob vo ...

for "passionate commitment to the defence and education of the children of Palestine."

Biography

Arna Mer-Khamis was born in 1929, in

Rosh Pinna Rosh Pinna () or Rosh Pina, is a town in the Korazim Plateau in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'an in the Northern District of Israel. It was established as Gei Oni in 1878 by local Jews from Tzfat but was nearly abando ...

, at the time

Mandate Palestine The Mandate for Palestine was a League of Nations mandate for British administration of the territories of Palestine and Transjordanwhich had been part of the Ottoman Empire for four centuriesfollowing the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in Wo ...

. Mer-Khamis's father was Gideon Mer, a Lithuanian-born Jewish scientist who pioneered the study of malaria during the British Mandate. She attended high school in

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; , ; ) is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Heb ...

as well as

Ben Shemen Youth Village Ben Shemen Youth Village (, ''Kfar HaNo'ar Ben Shemen'') is a youth village and agricultural boarding school in central Israel. Located near Ben Shemen and Ginaton, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In it had a ...

, and was active in the Gordonia youth movement. Mer-Khamis fought with the

Palmach The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Phalanges/Companies") was the elite combined strike forces and sayeret unit of the Haganah, the paramilitary organization of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of th ...

and

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

during the

1948 Arab-Israeli War Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

. Mer-Khamis married Saliba Khamis, a Christian Arab and a prominent member of Maki. After marrying Khamis, they moved to

Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...

, where Mer-Khamis was arrested and imprisoned for two weeks due to entering the city without a permit. She and Khamis had three sons: Spartacus, Juliano (who adopted the name

Juliano Mer-Khamis Juliano Mer-Khamis (; ; born Juliano Khamis; 29 May 19584 April 2011) was an Israeli–Palestinian actor, director, filmmaker, and political activist of Jewish and Palestinian Eastern Orthodox Christian parentage. On 4 April 2011, he was assass ...

), and Abir. Juliano, an actor, filmmaker, and peace activist who was murdered in 2011, directed the film '' Arna's Children'' about Mer-Khamis's work with the Freedom Theatre.

Political activism

Mer-Khamis was an active member of the Communist party in Israel. During the

First Intifada The First Intifada (), also known as the First Palestinian Intifada, was a sustained series of Nonviolent resistance, non-violent protests, acts of civil disobedience, Riot, riots, and Terrorism, terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians ...

, as part of a project to support the education of children in the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

, she established the organisation In the Defence of Children under Occupation/Care and Learning, and later established the Freedom Theatre in

Jenin Jenin ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and is the capital of the Jenin Governorate. It is a hub for the surrounding towns. Jenin came under Israeli occupied territories, Israeli occupation in 1967, and was put under the administra ...

refugee camp.

Awards

In 1993, Mer-Khamis was awarded the

. In her acceptance speech, Arna Mer-Khamis expressed her sympathy for Palestinian refugee children and their sufferings.

References

External links

Right Livelihood Award Acceptance Speech

Documentary by Explore: "No Child is Born a Terrorist"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mer-Khanis, Arna 1929 births 1995 deaths Israeli human rights activists Women human rights activists 20th-century Israeli Jews Israeli people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Jewish socialists Maki (historical political party) politicians Palmach members People from Rosh Pinna Israeli female military personnel Deaths from cancer in Israel Israeli women activists Israeli military personnel of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Jewish Israeli anti-Zionists Women in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War