Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Omar Abdel Latif Mustafa Ishtayeh was born on March 1, 1965, in the village of Tell, west of Nablus. He is married and has two children. He studied at Tell School, graduating in the humanities track in 1983. He earned a bachelor's degree in Sharia from Hebron University in 1996 and a master's degree in political development and planning from An-Najah National University in 2012. He enrolled in a doctoral program in political science at Al-Butana University in Sudan in 2016 and is awaiting the defense of his dissertation on the participation of Palestinian women in political work. He worked at the Nablus Press Office between 1996 and 1998, and also worked as a driving instructor in 1997. He taught Islamic education in government schools for three years starting in 1998, then resigned to pursue private business. He began teaching at Al-Quds Open University, Nablus branch, in 2015.
Shtayyeh was active in student unions during his studies at Hebron University, where he was a member of the Islamic Bloc and served as president of the university's student council from 1986 to 1990. He was arrested by Israeli forces in 1988, interrogated for 18 days, and then released. He was arrested again in 1991, charged with belonging to Hamas and participating in the Intifada, and sentenced to 16 months in prison. In late 1992, he was deported to Marj al-Zuhur in Lebanon, where he spent a year. During this time, he was active in the public relations and media committee for deportees. Upon his return to Palestine, he was arrested immediately and interrogated for 30 days before being released. He was arrested a fourth time in 1997 for two months and a fifth time in 2007 for three months. He was also subjected to a travel ban by Israeli forces between 1987 and 2004.
Shtayyeh was interested in civil work, as he was chosen as secretary of the village council of the town of Tel between 1996-1999, and during the same period he was vice president of the Tel Charitable Society. He won the municipal elections in 2005, and became its president between 2005-2012.
Ishtayeh has been practicing karate since 1979. He holds a 7th Dan black belt, is an international referee, and was the representative of the Japanese Karate Association in Palestine and the Arab region between 2000-2006. He was also the representative of the World Traditional Karate Association in Palestine and the Arab region since 2006, and the representative of the International Bushidokan Samurai Budo Federation (IBSBF) since 2014. He participated in the founding of the Palestinian Karate Federation and was its secretary until 1999. He supervised karate training courses in Germany, Romania, Norway, Sweden, France, Poland, and Ireland, and is responsible for training the Palestinian Shotokan team.
Shtayyeh believes that the Oslo Accords represent one of the most dangerous phases in the history of the Palestinian cause. They were never the choice of the Palestinian people and have proven their failure. He also considers the division a dark period that has negatively impacted all aspects of Palestinian life, and believes it is essential to work towards ending it and achieving national unity. He sees the necessity of a genuine national partnership based on acceptance of others, and for the PLO to become a comprehensive framework representing all national and political factions. Shtayyeh believes that resistance is a legitimate right for Palestinians, which they have exercised throughout their long history of struggle in various forms. Clearly, its form and tools are determined by the circumstances of time, place, and the nature of the current phase.
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