22 Facts About Ayman Odeh

Ayman Aadil Odeh is an Arab Israeli lawyer and politician.

Ayman Odeh is a member of Knesset and leader of the Hadash party.

Ayman Odeh now describes himself as having transcended the confines of religion and ethnicity.

Ayman Odeh studied law at the University of Craiova in Romania from 1993 to 1997.

Ayman Odeh earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Craiova and in 2001 was certified to practice law in Israel, though he is not a member of the Israel Bar Association.

Ayman Odeh met his wife Nardine Aseli, a gynecologist, at the wake for her 17-year-old brother who was killed in 2000 at the start of the Second Intifada.

Ayman Odeh joined Hadash, and represented it on Haifa City Council between 1998 and 2005, before becoming the party's secretary-general in 2006.

Ayman Odeh was placed 75th on the party's list for the 2009 elections, in which Hadash won four seats.

Ayman Odeh won sixth place on the party's list for the 2013 Knesset elections, but failed to enter the Knesset, as the party again won four seats.

Ayman Odeh was placed at the head of the Joint List's electoral list.

Analysts credited the charismatic Ayman Odeh for giving the Arab political union a more moderate, pragmatic face.

Ayman Odeh was elected to the 20th Knesset, along with 12 other candidates from the Joint List.

Ayman Odeh said he supported the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in Israel, adding that a Palestinian state should fulfill the same goals for Arab Palestinians.

Ayman Odeh is viewed as a potential power broker given that Arab parties appear to be uniting to meet the government's requirement that parties meet a minimum threshold of votes to secure a place in the Knesset.

Ayman Odeh has a style that contrasts with that of MK Haneen Zoabi, who is more confrontational.

Ayman Odeh says his service on Haifa City Council made it clear to him that Arabs and Jews must work together.

Ayman Odeh describes Haifa as "the most liberal multicultural yet homogenous city in Israel".

Ayman Odeh called upon Jewish and Arab members of the Knesset alike to support a new Knesset committee lobbying for the re-emphasizing of the culture of Jews from Arab and Muslim lands.

In October 2015, Ayman Odeh gave support to the "unarmed Palestinian struggle".

In February 2016, Ayman Odeh considered resigning from the Knesset to show his protest against a controversial MK suspension bill.

On 18 January 2017, Ayman Odeh was allegedly shot by a sponge-tipped bullet in the forehead by Israel Police as he protested against the demolition of homes in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran.

In November 2024, Ayman Odeh was ejected from the Knesset after accusing Prime Minister Netanyahu of being a "serial killer of peace".