According to the committee, Palestinian activist Issa Amro collected the Right Livelihood prize on Thursday for his “nonviolent resistance to Israel’s illegal occupation” in the West Bank. The award is regarded by some as an alternative Nobel.
Amro was born in Hebron, a volatile West Bank city home to over 200,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Jewish settlers who are heavily protected by the Israeli military.
He has committed his life to fighting against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.The 44-year-old founded the Youth Against Settlements group, which campaigns against the proliferation of Jewish settlements in the territory — communities widely regarded as illegal under international law.
The rights campaigner has been repeatedly detained and tortured by both the Palestinian Authority and by Israel, the foundation said.
“It’s a miracle that I still exist,” said Amro.
When Palestine Polytechnic University, where he was studying, closed in 2003 during the Second Intifada, Amro successfully led a six-month civil disobedience campaign.
“I managed to reopen the university with other students,” Amro said in a statement.
“I graduated as an engineer and as an activist — it became part of my character,” he added.
