Personal Info
- Country of residence: United States
Information
Kamal Nawash is a Palestinian born American lawyer from Ain Karem-Jerusalem. He works for the Nawash Law Office in Washington, D.C.
Nawash was the first Arab American and Muslim to be nominated to run for the Virginia State Senate (2003), which he did as a Republican. Interviewed by PBS in May 2004, and asked his view on President Bush, he said: "I think he understands the dangers of terrorism in the world, and as a Muslim who realizes that most of the victims of terrorism are actually Muslims."
In 2004, he founded and became President of the first American Muslim organization dedicated to combating extremism and support for terrorism among extremists.
In May 2005, Nawash's coalition sponsored an anti-terrorism rally in Washington, D.C. In June of 2005, Nawash’s work with the Free Muslims was recognized by the U.S. government when the White House appointed him to represent the U.S. before the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Nawash addressed leaders of Europe and the former Soviet republics in a speech on tolerance at an international conference in Spain.
In addition to being recognized by the White House, in March 2006 Nawash was invited to Jerusalem to advance an alternative approach to solving the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. In summary, Nawash argued that in light of the passionate claims both Palestinians and Israelis have for the same territory the only solution for them is to become equal citizens in a Federation rather than splitting the territory into two sovereign states. Since 2006 he has focused his work on creating a shared future between Palestinians and Israelis.
He is a regular commentator on CNN, Fox, BBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, Voice of America, and many U.S. radio stations.
In recent years Nawash has directed his energy towards resolving the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Since 1986 he has been working to create a United States of Palestinians and Israelis with two separate state legislatures, a federal legislature, equal rights for all, and no internal borders. He believes that Israel/Palestine is indivisible, as is Jerusalem. Nawash has joined together with similar-minded Israelis and Palestinians to start a movement of those who want to live together as equals, including Yehuda Schwartz, Josef Avesar, Mazin Qumsiyeh, Tsvi Misinai, Ali Abunimah, and Gershon Baskin.
In December 2011, Kamal Nawash and organization Free Muslim Coalition jointly with the Ariel University Center of Samaria held a special conference to promote the peace, under the title “Best Plans for a Peaceful Israel/Palestine”. The conference was attended by Israeli Arabs, Israeli Jews and Palestinians from the PA-controlled areas of the West Bank, all of whom presented solutions to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.
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