Hana Khatib (also Hana Mansour-Khatib) ( ar, هناء خطيب, he, הנא ח'טיב) is an

Israeli Arab The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...

lawyer and the first woman appointed to the post of

Qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

for a

sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

in Israel.

Early life

Khatib was born in Tira. She holds a bachelor's degree in law from Staffordshire University in England as well as a master's degree in mediation from Bar-Ilan University. She specialized in the fields of family law and

Appointment and criticism

On 25 April 2017, the

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

's Committee to Elect Sharia Judges nominated three women and ultimately appointed Khatib unanimously to serve as one of the nine qadis in Shari'a courts in Israel. Khatib's election came despite governmental opposition to a private bill for the representation of women in judicial positions in Shari'a courts. Members of Knesset from the United Torah Judaism party threatened to use their veto power (which applies to matters of religion and state) in order to thwart the proposal. They feared that such legislation would lead to a precedent that would require the appointment of women to rabbinic courts. In the end, Khatib's appointment was made without legislation. Other female qadis already serve in the

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,

, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and in other Muslim countries.

Personal life

Khatib is a resident of Tamra. She is married and a mother of four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khatib, Hana Living people Arab citizens of Israel Israeli Muslims 21st-century Israeli judges 21st-century women judges People from Central District (Israel) People from Tamra Bar-Ilan University alumni Israeli women judges Year of birth missing (living people)