Personal Info
- Country of residence: Portugal
Information
Nizar Khalil Muhammad Banat was born in the Jordanian city of Salt on August 28, 1978, to a refugee family from the depopulated village of Ajjour in the Hebron district. He is married and has two sons and three daughters. He completed his primary and secondary education in Salt schools, graduating from Salt Secondary School in 1996. He earned a bachelor's degree in Arabic Language from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Jordan in 2001. He worked as a teacher at the UNRWA-run Al-Arroub Refugee Camp School, and later worked in carpentry and interior design.
Banat joined the Fatah movement in his early youth, participating in its national activities and actively involved in student activism. He assumed leadership of the Sons of Palestine Association, an influential student body within the university. He returned to Palestine in 2000 and rose to prominence on social media. His published material garnered a wide following within Palestinian society, particularly his videos in which he commented on political, economic, social, and cultural developments. He became known for his sharp criticism of the Palestinian Authority's political and administrative performance, his demands for strengthening public freedoms within society and official institutions, his fight against corruption, his opposition to negotiations, and his condemnation of security coordination. He was considered one of the most prominent opponents of the Authority.
Banat ran for the legislative elections scheduled for May 22, 2021, on the “Freedom and Dignity” list. He conducted many interviews and media meetings, participated in conferences, solidarity rallies and popular movements, and wrote many articles concerning the Palestinian cause and Arab unity.
He adopted the daughters of nationalist thought, believed in resistance and its various forms as a path to liberating Palestine, and raised the slogan “I believe in a free Palestine from the river to the sea.” He supported the Palestinian resistance factions and saw that “the silent majority does not make noise, but it makes history. This is what happened in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya. The leaders in those countries filled the world with noise, while the silent public disappeared and hid behind the image of the leader for decades, until the image of that majority completely melted away, and we no longer heard anything from it except some cries. But it suddenly rose up and made history.” He called for dismantling the political and security structure of the Palestinian Authority.
Banat suffered throughout his life; He was arrested by Jordanian authorities for his political views while studying in Jordan, and by Palestinian Authority security forces eight times for his opposition to and criticism of the PA's policies and some of its figures. His home was also targeted by gunfire on May 2, 2021, an attack which Banat accused the Palestinian security forces of carrying out on his Facebook page. He survived several assassination attempts, including shootings at his home, and was repeatedly pursued by security forces, most recently in April 2021. He was arrested on the morning of June 24, 2021, at the home of a relative in the southern part of Hebron, where he was staying. During his arrest, he was beaten, which led to his death. The initial medical report revealed that Banat "suffered external violence in several areas of his body and was beaten all over. While being transported to the Preventive Security headquarters, he fainted and lost consciousness before arrival. Security personnel then transported him to Alia Governmental Hospital in Hebron in security vehicles, but he arrived deceased." The report concluded that the cause of death was "shock." His nervous breakdown led to acute heart and lung failure.” This arrest came after his criticism of the vaccine deal between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli occupation, and his death was met with widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally.
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