Abdel Fatah Hamayel

Abdel Fatah Hamayel (عبد الفتاح حمايل) was born in 1950 in Kafr Malik (north of Ramallah) and is a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council.

He was candidate in the cancelled May 2021 legislative elections, running on the ‘Freedom’ list of Marwan Barghouti and Nasser Kidwa. In 2003, he was appointed minister for youth and sports under then prime minister Mahmoud Abbas. He later served as governor of Bethlehem Governorate between 2009 and 2014.

Hamayel joined Fatah in 1968 and was engaged in its military activities, as part of its Asifah forces. In 1969 he was captured by Israel during the fighting in Beit Furik and was sentenced to seven life sentences. He was released in 1985 as part of a prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC).

Hamayel was imprisoned again in 1990 for his activities during the First Intifada and was sentenced to three years in prison and subsequently deported. He returned to the West Bank in 1994 following the conclusion of the Oslo Accords.