Hana Sweid | |
|---|---|
حنا سويد | |
 | |
| Faction represented in theKnesset | |
| 2006–2015 | Hadash |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-03-27)27 March 1955 (age 70) |
Hana Sweid (Arabic:حنا سويد,Hebrew:חנא סוייד; also speltHanna Swaid, born 27 March 1955) is anIsraeli Arab politician who served as a member of theKnesset forHadash from 2006 to 2015.[1]
Born to aChristian Arab family inEilabun, Sweid studied Civil Engineering at theTechnion, gaining aBSc and anMSc. Further studies led to him receiving aPhD in Civil Engineering and Urban Planning.[2] After his studies he worked as an engineer and also lectured at theUniversity of Reading in theUnited Kingdom from 1990 until 1993. He became a member of the National Council for Planning and Construction in 1995, leaving it in 2003, the year in which he became Director General of the Arab Center for Alternative Planning, a position he held until 2006.[3]
Sweid began his foray into politics as head of Eilabun local council in 1993, a position he held until 2000. He was first elected to the Knesset in the2006 elections. Since becoming an MK he has led efforts to establish a new Arab city in the north of Israel.[4]
Placed second on the party's list, he retained his seat in the2009 and2013 elections. He retired from politics prior to the2015 elections, although he was given a symbolic 109th place on theJoint List, an alliance of Hadash and other Arab parties.[5]