Interview with H.E. Mr. Mohammed Nabhan
Mohammed Nabhan, the Palestine ambassador to Serbia, was born in 1947. He completed his high-school education in Aman and enrolled in the university but his studies were interrupted by the war in 1968. That same year he joined Fatah as an activist and a fighter. As a representative of the PLO, he arrived in Belgrade in 1978, where he continued his studies and graduated in International relations from the Faculty of Political Sciences. He departed Belgrade for Tunis and worked in the cabinet of the president Yasser Arafat until his return to Palestine. From 1994 until the death of President Arafat he worked in the Palestine investment fund, when he was, after the rise of Mahmoud Abbas to power, instated as the Palestine ambassador to Serbia.
Let me start with a very simple, direct question: How did you start working in diplomacy and what are your favorite parts of this position?
I started diplomacy long time ago when I was appointed as a senior advisor for the Balkan region in the cabinet of the late President Arafat. That was during the late 80's and early 90's. A long time ago. I was sent to Belgrade as a scholar in 1982. I studied at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade and I graduated in 1987. Then I left Belgrade and started working in the cabinet.
Diplomacy is very active and very creative work. It is a mix of science and art. I like my job and I like Belgrade too as a place of my diplomacy.
What is the most challenging about being a representative of Palestinian diplomacy in Serbia?
The greatest challenge, working as a diplomatic representative of the State of Palestine in Serbia, is to explain the position of my people, as people who are struggling for freedom from Israeli occupation. Palestinian people, like Serbian people, have no gas no oil, the State of Palestine is not rich like other Arabic countries, and in the era of money deals, which especially prevail in the last decade, it is very difficult to prove that you are honest and proud and struggling to get your land back.
Let's for a moment play the role of a great PR expert. How would you present Palestine in a few sentences?
Palestine is a small country located on the East Bank of the Mediterranean Sea, with very rich, long history. Palestine is the cradle of civilizations and religions. Palestine is the home of olives, oranges, grapes.
Palestinians are the successors of Canaanites, Phoenicians, Hebrew, Arabs and all others. Lots of invaders were there, From Alexander the Great through Mongolians, Tatars, Crusaders, Ottomans, Napoleon, British and Israelis.
But Palestinians still live in their land and they will be there forever.
You have been serving as ambassador to Serbia since 2005. Can you look behind and highlight key achievements of your team and you?
I consider my key achievements are the voting of Serbia in United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO and Interpol and other United Nations organizations, for the membership of Palestine as a State, the first historical visit of President of the Republic of Serbia Mr. Tomislav Nikolić to Palestine in 2013, then the opening of the Embassy of the State of Palestine in the Republic of Serbia by the two presidents, Mr. Nikolić and Mr. Abbas in 2015, as well as the intent of Serbia to open a diplomatic mission in Ramallah.
What makes you a unique person in contributing to the image of Palestine?
Being the Ambassador of the State of Palestine makes me a unique person. Being a father of two girls and six boys makes me a unique person. Being a citizen of the Palestinian State makes me a unique person. Being a friend of Serbia and Serbian people makes me a unique person. Being a person who has a lot of friends in Palestine, Serbia and all over the world makes me a unique person.
What is the Palestinian national brand and what strategies do you use to increase country brand awareness?
The Palestinian brand is that girl and that boy who had been awarded from NASA and United Europe.
The Palestinian National brand is that teacher who was proclaimed as the teacher of the world.
Women and men are the biggest and the most worthy Palestinian National brand.
The Palestinian brand is that girl and that boy who had been awarded from NASA and United Europe.
How is the message about the Palestinian people being delivered today, would you change something?
The message of the Palestinian people is that they need to live in their independent state, as free citizens, without Israeli occupation, like other nations in the world. They need to live in good neighborhood relations, in peace, security and cooperation. They need to look forward to the future and not to the past. They need to live with their Israeli neighbors without historical taboos, without false theologies. They need to show the whole world that they're good and creative people.
In the age of social media and enhanced digital connectivity, do you think that Palestine diaspora should play a vital role in Palestine's struggle towards "Two Nation-State"? How?
You know it is not easy in the age of the social media and enhanced digital connectivity, to promote the Palestinian story. We are facing huge machinery which is unfortunately controlled by those who don’t like Palestinians and those who favor the other side.
That is why the Palestinian diaspora has a huge role to present and explain the message of their native people to the societies in which they live. They are doing this in a good manner in Europe, in the States, and elsewhere.
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