Sami Awad: Complete Interview

In this complete interview, Peaceworker Sami Awad, speaks about the power of non-violence as a tool for healing and empowering individuals, communities and nations. Describing his work in the Holy Land, he explains why it is important to recognize those perceptions and interpretations that we have grown up with and to distinguish between them and the real potential of the moment. Awad says that it is most important to work through the heart. He suggests that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is not unique but a global issue, and that the peace achieved there will also be felt around the world.

Sami Awad
Sami Awad is the Executive Director of Holy Land Trust (HLT), a Palestinian nonprofit organization which he founded in 1998 in Bethlehem. HLT works with the Palestinian community at both the grassroots and leadership levels in developing nonviolent approaches that aim to end the Israeli occupation and build a future founded on the principles of nonviolence, equality, justice, and peaceful coexistence. In 2006, he ran as an independent candidate in the Palestinian Legislative Council Elections (the Palestinian Parliament). He also established the Travel and Encounter Program, which aims to provide tourists and pilgrims with unique religious and political experiences in Palestine; the Palestine News Network, the first independent press agency in Palestine and a major source of news on life in Palestine today; and Al-Kul Television. He has traveled to several countries to speak about non-violence. Full bio and links »