Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Mona Salim Mansour was born on November 18, 1961 , in the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank. She is married and has two sons and three daughters. She studied primary school at Ibn Hazm School, preparatory school at Ibn Sina School, and secondary school at Al-Salahiya and Al-Aishiya Schools in Nablus. She obtained her high school diploma in the science stream in 1980 and a bachelor's degree in physics from An-Najah National University in 1986. She worked as a physics teacher at the Islamic Community College in the Jordanian city of Zarqa in 1986 and as a supervisor of a dormitory at the college. She then moved to teach in West Bank schools after her marriage to the Palestinian leader, the martyr Jamal Mansour.
Mansour was deeply influenced in her early youth by the activities of the Palestinian national movement. The martyrdom of student Lina Nabulsi had a profound impact on her. A major turning point in her life came when she became involved in the student movement during her university studies, joining the Islamic Bloc and participating in its activities. Her marriage to Hamas leader Jamal Mansour further enriched her thinking and deepened her understanding of Islamic thought and the Palestinian cause. Mansour faced social challenges due to her husband's involvement in the national struggle. He was arrested several times, deported to Marj al-Zuhur in late 1992, and then assassinated by the occupation forces in 2001. She was left to shoulder the burden of supporting her family alone while also making her mark in public social work.
Mansour was active in institutional women’s work; she joined the Women’s Union Association in the 1980s, and she had a role in following up on the families of prisoners, martyrs, and the families of those deported to Marj al-Zuhur in the 1990s. She joined the Solidarity Charitable Association, the Roots Center for Culture and Arts, and the Muslim Women’s League, and she had notable contributions to the activities of these institutions.
Mansour won a seat in the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006 as part of the Islamic Reform and Change list affiliated with Hamas. She was a member of the Education Committee and the Social Committee in the Legislative Council, and became a member of the Palestinian National Council by virtue of her Legislative Council membership. She faced difficulties during her work as a Legislative Council member, especially after the occupation disrupted parliamentary life by arresting most of the members of her parliamentary bloc, in addition to harassment of her family by the Palestinian security services, her arrest by the occupation for 15 days, and her being prevented from traveling since 2009. Mansour was active in participating in public meetings, conveying citizens' complaints to official bodies, and speaking to the media about public issues such as freedoms, women, and education. She also participates in lectures and seminars in academic centers and institutions, visits universities, and participates in student activities.
Mansour believes that the Oslo Accords were a security agreement that deceived the people, who thought it was the fruit of their sacrifices in the First Intifada. It led to striking at the Palestinian resistance and left the Palestinian people without support to defend them against the occupation. She believes that the division is a calamity that has befallen the Palestinian people and must be overcome on the basis of working to end the occupation, liberate the land, and achieve political partnership by reactivating the Palestine Liberation Organization and re-electing the Palestinian National Council, the Legislative Council, and the presidency of the Palestinian Authority. She calls for the existence of a true democracy and respect for this democracy. She believes that the Palestinian people have the right to use all means to resist the occupation, especially since international treaties and conventions grant Palestinians the right to resist, including armed resistance. The occupation only understands the language of force, and in the end, the one who is in the right will prevail.
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