 |
Yousef Bashir | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989 Gaza Strip |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Northeastern University (B.A.) Brandeis University (M.A.) |
| Relatives | Khalil Bashir (father) |
Yousef Bashir (born 1989) is a Palestinian-American author and peace activist.
| |
Yousef Bashir | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989 Gaza Strip |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Northeastern University (B.A.) Brandeis University (M.A.) |
| Relatives | Khalil Bashir (father) |
Yousef Bashir (born 1989) is a Palestinian-American author and peace activist.
Bashir was born in and grew up in the Gaza Strip. [1] [2] His father, Khalil Bashir, was the headmaster of the German school in Gaza. [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] [5] Although given the opportunity to leave, the Bashir family was determined to stay, knowing they likely would not be able to return to their property if they left. [5] The soldiers destroyed the family's greenhouses and orchards and forced his family (Bashir, his parents, grandmother, and seven siblings) [3] to sleep in the living room, while the soldiers used the second and third floors of the house. [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. [3] [5]
Bashir was shot by an Israeli soldier on February 18, 2004, at age 15, resulting in a spinal injury. [1] [2] The shooting occurred at Bashir's home, while the family was saying goodbye to UN staffers who were visiting. [3] [5] Although the Israeli army took responsibility for the shooting, they did not provide an explanation as to why it happened. [5] He was brought to a hospital in a UN car. [6] [7] Because the local hospital did not have the resources to treat him, [2] Bashir was brought to a hospital in Tel HaShomer, Israel, where he formed connections with some of the Israeli healthcare workers who treated him. [1] After four months in the hospital, he was transferred to Shikum Yiladem, a rehabilitation center where he lived and attended physical therapy with 12 Israeli children, whom he also made connections with over the sixteen months he spent there. [2] [8] By the end of his stay, Bashir was able to walk again, and he returned to his family home in Gaza. [1]
In 2005, Bashir attended an American summer camp in Maine run by Seeds of Peace. [5] [8] The experience made Bashir decide he wanted to pursue his education in the United States. [8] His family regained full control of their home in September 2005. [5]
Following rehabilitation for his injury, Bashir chose to attend a Quaker high school in Ramallah. [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. [2] [4] [8]
Bashir earned his undergraduate degree in international studies at Northeastern University in Boston, although he had originally hoped to attend Brandeis University. [8] [7] He was able to attend Brandeis for graduate school, where he received a master’s degree in Conflict and Coexistence. [6] [8]
As of 2023, Bashir is finishing a Ph.D. in international affairs at Johns Hopkins University. [1]
In 2009, Bashir's father died. Bashir was inspired to write a memoir based on his childhood experiences and his father's teachings on nonviolence. [4] In 2018, Bashir published a memoir, The Words of My Father: Love and Pain in Palestine, in the United Kingdom. [3] In 2018, the Times Literary Supplement included the memoir on its Books of the Year list. [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." [9]
In 2014, Bashir expressed interest in becoming a diplomat and returning to Gaza in that role. [6] In 2017, Bashir interned on Capitol Hill for Representative Gerald Connolly. [7] [8] At the time, he expressed interest in working on Capitol Hill full-time as a foreign affairs advisor. [7] He was later hired as an intern for Senator Bernie Sanders. [10]
Bashir has written for The Forward [4] and The New York Times , [11] and has spoken with MSNBC. [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. [14]
Bashir became a U.S. citizen in 2019, after applying in 2017. [4] [8] As of 2017, Bashir had not visited Gaza since he left in 2006, out of fear that he would be unable to leave again. [8] Bashir lives in Washington, D.C. [1]
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