Hana Sweid | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Faction represented in the Knesset | |
| 2006–2015 | Hadash |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 March 1955 Eilabun, Israel |
Hana Sweid (Arabic: حنا سويد, Hebrew: חנא סוייד; also spelt Hanna Swaid, born 27 March 1955) is an Israeli Arab politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash from 2006 to 2015.[1]
Born to a Christian Arab family in Eilabun, Sweid studied Civil Engineering at the Technion, gaining a BSc and an MSc. Further studies led to him receiving a PhD in Civil Engineering and Urban Planning.[2] After his studies he worked as an engineer and also lectured at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom from 1990 until 1993. He became a member of the National Council for Planning and Construction in 1995, leaving it in 2003, the year in which he became Director General of the Arab Center for Alternative Planning, a position he held until 2006.[3]
Sweid began his foray into politics as head of Eilabun local council in 1993, a position he held until 2000. He was first elected to the Knesset in the 2006 elections. Since becoming an MK he has led efforts to establish a new Arab city in the north of Israel.[4]
Placed second on the party's list, he retained his seat in the 2009 and 2013 elections. He retired from politics prior to the 2015 elections, although he was given a symbolic 109th place on the Joint List, an alliance of Hadash and other Arab parties.[5]