Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Manuel Sarkis Hassassian "born in Jerusalem on December 28, 1953" is a Palestinian- Armenian professor, who since late 2005 has been the Palestinian Authority's diplomatic representative to the United Kingdom, after being appointed to the position by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Hassassian left his homeland for brief periods after his high school years to pursue his higher education, earning his BA in Political Science from the American University of Beirut in 1975, his MA in International Relations from Toledo University, Ohio, US, in 1976 and his PhD in Comparative Politics from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1986.
Hassassian worked at Bethlehem University for twenty five years as a professor of political science and in administrative roles at the University: Dean of Students, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Chair of the Humanities Department and for the past nine years as the Executive Vice President, during which time he also served as the President of the Rectors' Conference of the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education and President of the Palestinian-European-American Cooperation in Education (PEACE) program.
Hassassian has been a representative of the University at the Ministry of Higher Education, at the Association of Arab Universities, and among other international academic organizations.
He has also been a visiting scholar at the University of Reims, France; Villanova University, US; University of Maryland at College Park, US; University of Vermont, USA; Earlham College, US; and the University College, Dublin, Ireland.
In addition to senior administrative responsibilities at Bethlehem University, during his tenure at Bethlehem University, Hassassian made scholarly contributions in the field of political science with the publication of over 100 reviews, articles and chapters, including Palestinian Political Culture, Civic Society and the Concept of Citizenship, The Transformation of Palestinian Civil Society and its Role in Developing Democratic Trends in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Historical Justice and Compensation for Palestinian Refugees.
Hassassian also served as a consultant to the Higher Ministerial Committee for Church Affairs, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, UNESCO, the Palestinian Negotiating Team on Refugee Final Settlement, the Orient House P.L.O. Office in Jerusalem as Chief Political Advisor to the late Faysal Husseini, Minister of State Affairs – Head of the Jerusalem File, and the Ministerial Commission on Refugees, among others.
Among his academic awards and honors, Hassassian was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Reims, France, and nominated by the Center of International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland, for the Gleitzman Middle East Award.
In March 2015, he was awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award under the social driver category for his extensive work on promoting the rights of the Palestinian people as the country's representative in the UK.
Source
Achievements and Awards
Received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Reims, France, in 1996, and was nominated for the Gleitsman Middle East Award in 1998/99; was appointed to become the Palestinian representative to London in Oct. 2005; has published extensively in comparative and Middle East politics; among his books are Palestine Factionalism in the National Movement During the Mandatory Period (Jerusalem: PASSIA, 1990), Political Opposition within the Palestine National Movement, 1919-1939 (Jerusalem: Al-Bayader, 1987); co-edited Citizenship and the State in the Middle East (Syracuse University Press, 2000); appointed as ambassador, Head of the Palestinian General Delegation to the United Kingdom in late 2005.
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