A few days ago, palestinian Hanan Al Hroub, a teacher at Samiha Khalil High School near Ramallahhas, was awarded the $1m million Global Teacher Prize for her work in schools in the region, in an announcement in a video presented by Pope Francis.
“I am proud to be a Palestinian female teacher standing on this stage. I accept this as a win for all teachers in general and Palestinian teachers in particular,” Al Hroub said. “We, as teachers can build the values and morals of young minds to ensure a fair world, a more beautiful world and a more free world.
Sounds good, and I would congratulate her.
If I believed she meant it.
Alas, she a married a terrorist.
Hanan Al-Hroub was born and raised in the alleys of Dheisheh refugee camp and has experienced first-hand the suffering of its people. The camp is close to the city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, where she went to school. She married a Palestinian freedom fighter, Omar Al-Hroub, who took part in one of the most daring guerrilla operations in the occupied territories, the Dabboya operation, in Hebron in May 1980. When the guerrillas were being pursued in the mountains they attacked a group of settlers going from the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement to the Dabboya building near the Ibrahimi Mosque. Thirteen settlers were killed, including their military leader in Hebron, and dozens were injured. Months after the operation, the guerrillas were captured; Omar was imprisoned and spent many years in Israeli prisons before being released. It was then that he met and married his life partner who became the best teacher in the world.
Did the adjudicators of this prize do their due diligence?
Update: Yep.
