Rula Jebreal | |
|---|---|
رولا جبريل | |
.jpg) Jebreal in September 2017 | |
| Born | April 24, 1973 Haifa, Israel |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Citizenship | Israeli, Italian[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Bologna |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, commentator, author |
| Children | Miral Rivalta[2] |
| Website | Official Web site |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Jebreal on her secret interview with Jamal Khashoggi |
Rula Jebreal (Arabic: رولا جبريل, Hebrew: רולא ג'בריל; born April 24, 1973) is a Palestinian[3][4] foreign policy analyst, journalist, novelist and screenwriter with dual Israeli and Italian citizenship. She was a commentator for MSNBC.[5]
Jebreal was born in Haifa, Israel, to Nigeria-born Sufi imam Othman Jebreal and Zakia, and grew up in Jerusalem.[6] Her father was an imam and groundskeeper at Al-Aqsa.[6] Her mother, who suffered from severe abuse in her childhood, committed suicide by walking into the sea and drowning when Jebreal was 5.[7][8] She and her sister Rania were put into the Dar El-Tifel orphanage by their father,[7][8] in 1978, until 1991. She was raised in the orphanage, and regards its founder, Hind Husseini, as her teacher and mother, crediting her with saving her life.[9]
In 1993, she received a scholarship from the Italian government to study at the University of Bologna, where she graduated with a degree in physiotherapy.[citation needed]
Jebreal worked as a journalist in Italy for twelve years. In 2006 she worked with Michele Santoro as an interviewer on AnnoZero, a political television show in Italy.[10]
Jebreal first novel Miral was published in 2003. The film version, adapted by Jebreal, and directed by Julian Schnabel, was first released in 2010.[2][7][11]
Jebreal's second novel The Bride of Aswan was published in 2007. Her third book, Rejected, is a non-fiction study based on interviews with immigrants who have either made their way to successful careers in Italy or otherwise live on the margins of Italian society.[12]
She has a daughter Miral whose father is artist Davide Rivalta.[13]
Her collaboration with Julian Schnabel on Miral, extended beyond the movie. Jebreal was in a relationship with him from 2007 to 2011.[14][15][16]
In 2013, she married Arthur Altschul, Jr., son of banker Arthur Goodhart Altschul Sr. and a member of the Lehman family. She divorced Altschul in 2016 and started dating Roger Waters, founder of Pink Floyd. [17]
She is fluent in four languages: Arabic, Hebrew, English and Italian.[18] She describes herself as a "secular Muslim".[19]
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