Personal Info
- Country of residence: Portugal
Information
Mohammed Ahmed Awad was born in the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on September 30, 1960, to a Palestinian refugee family whose origins trace back to the depopulated village of Aqir in the occupied Ramla district. He is married and has five children. He studied the primary stage at Rafah “A” School, and the secondary stage at Beersheba School, from which he obtained his high school diploma in 1978. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Mansoura University in Egypt in 1984, a Master’s degree in the same specialization from Turkey in 1987, and a PhD in the same specialization from Middle East Technical University in Turkey in 1991. He worked as a lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering at the Islamic University since 1994, and established the Materials and Soil Laboratory in 1995. He became an Associate Professor in 1998, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering between (1999-2001), Head of the Quality and Self-Evaluation Committee for Academic Programs in 2001, Dean of the Planning and Development Department between (2001-2003), Vice President of the University for Information Technology Affairs between (2004-2005), and obtained the rank of Professor in 2003.
He was appointed Secretary-General of the Cabinet between 2006 and 2011, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Planning between 2008 and 2012, and Deputy Prime Minister of Palestine between 2011 and 2012. He was a member of several ministerial committees, including the Ministerial Committee for Economic Affairs and Infrastructure between 2007 and 2012, the Ministerial Committee for Administrative Reform and Development between 2008 and 2009, and the Ministerial Committee for Central Emergencies between 2008 and 2012. He also chaired several ministerial committees, including the Ministerial Administrative Committee between 2008 and 2012, the Higher Ministerial Committee for Evaluating Government Performance between 2010 and 2011, the Ministerial Committee for Exceptional Promotions in the Ministry of Interior between 2010 and 2012, and the Committee for Following Up on the Electricity Crisis between 2010 and 2012. The ministerial committee responsible for promotions and appointments of senior officials between the years (2011-2012), and the committee for monitoring government work in the Gaza Strip between the years (2018-2021).
Awad belongs to the Hamas movement and was active on both the union and institutional levels. He has been a member of the Engineers Syndicate Council in Rafah since 1999, and headed the Engineers Syndicate branch in Rafah Governorate for two years. He was a member of the General Engineers Syndicate Council in the Gaza Strip in 2002, a member of the Federation of Arab Engineers, a member of the American Society of Engineers (ASCE), and a member of the Al-Salah Charitable Society in Deir al-Balah Governorate for 15 years.
Awad participated in a number of conferences, including: the Conference of Deans of Arab Engineering Colleges, which was held in Aleppo, Syria in 1999, and the First Scientific Conference in 2002. He also wrote a number of research papers and studies in engineering and management.
Awad adopts Islamic thought and believes that historical Palestine is destined for liberation, but in stages. What is required is preparation and effort. He believes that the Palestinian cause needs extraordinary effort and thinking. The Palestinians live under a painful reality, and the world has become fully aware of the Palestinian cause, but it acts contrary to its awareness. The American administration, for example, is aware of the details of the Palestinian cause, but on the ground it fully supports the Israeli occupation. He considers the Palestinian cause to be a comprehensive issue, containing all dimensions. It is impossible to possess military power without an educated citizen who knows what he wants. All aspects must rise to the level of victory, and efforts must be made to build the citizen for the sake of the cause.
It is believed that the Oslo Accords did not fulfill the aspirations of the Palestinian people, but rather laid the foundation for a bad phase, and the Palestinians were unable to benefit from any of its aspects. Moreover, it no longer exists. He attributes the poor political relationship between Hamas and Fatah to the difference in their political projects and programs, between resistance and liberation on the one hand, and the political negotiation track on the other. As for relations between the factions, they are good, and he believes in all forms of resistance. He considers any form of resistance through which the Palestinians can achieve progress to be necessary. Armed resistance achieves victory on the ground, but there is a need to translate the victory into political gains. He calls for restructuring the internal situation of national institutions, not on the basis of partnership, but on the basis of who advances the most in their project and ideology. The term "partnership," in Awad's view, may be acceptable in the interim, but it is not the main goal. The main goal is that the homeland belongs to everyone, and everyone must contribute their efforts to the advancement of the homeland.
He emphasizes that the return of refugees to their homes from which they were displaced is the only solution, and it is a right guaranteed to them in all international laws.
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