Atef Ibrahim Mohammad Adwan ( ar, عاطف ابراهيم محمد عدوان), also spelled Odwan, Udwan or Edwan (

nom de Guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

Abu Sharif), is the Minister of Refugees in the

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,

, having been named to this position following the

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...

victory in the

2006 Palestinian legislative election Legislative elections were held in the Palestinian territories on 25 January 2006 in order to elect the second Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The result was a victory for Hamas, ...

, when he was elected from the Northern Gaza District. Adwan was born in 1952 in the town of

Beit Hanoun Beit Hanoun or Beit Hanun ( ar, بيت حانون) is a city on the northeast edge of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 32,187 in mid-2006. It is administered by the Hamas admi ...

, in the far north of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza. ...

, where he still resides, to a well-educated family. He earned a higher diploma in political science in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, probably in the early 1970s, a bachelor's degree in political science from the College of Economics and Political Sciences in Cairo in 1978, followed by a graduate diploma from the Center for Arab Research and Studies at the

Beirut Arab University Beirut Arab University (BAU) ( ar, جـامعة بيروت العربية) is a Lebanese private university located in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded by the Lebanese Waqf El-Bir wal Ihsan Society in 1960. The University attained the Internation ...

, and master’s and a PhD from British universities between 1983 and 1987. He became an associate professor in 1996 and a professor in political science in 2001 at the

Islamic University of Gaza The Islamic University of Gaza ( ar, الجامعة الإسلامية بغزة), also known as IUG and IU Gaza, is an independent Palestinian university established in 1978 in Gaza City. It was the first higher education institution to be estab ...

in Gaza City. In addition to his political posts, he is acting chairman of the Islamic Society in Beit Hanoun, preaches weekly at the Omar Bin Abed Al-Aziz mosque, and has published numerous books and research papers on political issues such as the relationships between the Jews and the Muslims in the early stages of Islam. Adwan has been arrested several times by the Israeli government for alleged terrorist activities and the

PLO The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establishing Arab unity and st ...

-led Palestinian Authority for political activism through the years. In 1992 he was deported to Marj Al-Zuhour in Southern Lebanon where he wrote a book entitled "Marj Al-Zuhour Diary." In almost every recent Israeli invasion of Beit Hanoun, Atef's house was subject to search by Israeli Defence Army. He was the Minister of State for Refugee affairs in

Palestinian Authority Government of March 2006 The Palestinian Authority Government of March 2006, also known as the First Haniyeh Government, was a government of the Palestinian National Authority (PA), led by Ismail Haniyeh, that was sworn in on 29 March 2006 and was followed by the Pale ...

.''The PA Ministerial Cabinet List March 2006 - March 2007''
JMCC. Archived on 4 October 2009

References

External sources

Washington Institute PLC Handbook
{{Authority control Adwan, Atef Adwan, Atef Adwan, Atef Adwan, Atef Members of the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council Islamic University of Gaza faculty Cairo University alumni Government ministers of the Palestinian National Authority State ministers of Palestine