Dalal Abu Amneh: A Musician, A Neurologist

She is a Palestinian singer, producer, and a PhD researcher in neurology from the Haifa Institute of Technology, the Technion.

Dalal Abu Amneh was born in Nazareth on 9 August, 1983 and became captivated by science and music at a young age. In music, Dalal got to be known for her melodious voice and ability to perform various musical styles.

In this she forged a global Palestinian identity producing all of her musical projects while making three albums: “Ya Baladi,” “Ya Sitti,” and “Nour,” underlined in the spirit and heritage of the Palestinian and Arab people while at the same developing didactic vocal styles including classical Tarab, Andalusian singing, Sufi spiritual chanting, and her revival of Palestinian and Levantine folk traditions.

Dalal grew up in an artistic family. Her mother, Juhaina Al-Hawari, has a beautiful voice but has not pursued a professional musical career, but looked after her children. Her father, Ghazi Abu Amneh, plays the oud and owns a fish restaurant. She has four sisters: Nida, Salam, Jihan, and Faten. Salam and Jihan work in the arts and singing, while Nida and Faten work in visual arts due to their hearing impairments.

Dalal began singing at the age of four, participating in the Princess of Spring competition and winning the title in 1987 with her song “Maryam Maryamti.” By the age of 16, she was known for her masterful performances of classical Arabic songs and traditional roles, in addition to her renditions of Palestinian and Levantine folk songs. Leading musicians in the Arab world, such as Salah El Sharnouby and Asala Nasri, have praised her voice, which they said blends authenticity with modernity.

Dalal is commited to socially-conscious art and is working to develop Palestinian art scene in a way to preserve its authenticity while appealing to younger generations and western audiences to strengthen Palestinian identity and support the Palestinian cause.

Over the years, Dalal participated in major international and Arab festivals, such as the Jerash Festival and the Arab Music Festival at the Cairo Opera House and represented Palestine in several Arab operettas, including “Land of the Prophets” (2012) and “Call of Freedom” (2014).

She also regularly participates in cultural and artistic events locally, regionally, and internationally. In addition to her performances with her own band, Dalal is the principal singer of the MESTO World Orchestra, performing traditional Arab and Palestinian songs with western musicians and orchestral arrangements worldwide.

Dalal released several popular songs, including “Ana Qalbi wa Rouhi Fidaak” (My Heart and Soul Are Yours) in 2001, with lyrics by Adnan Abbasi, music by Alaa Azzam, and arrangement by Habib Shehadeh. It was recorded at Karam Matar Studios.

She also released “Khallini Fi Balak” (Keep Me in Mind) in 2003 and two albums: “Kareem Ya Ramadan” (Generous Ramadan) in 2007 and “An Baladi” (About My Country) in 2013, an album that explores Palestine from various perspectives and through diverse musical styles.

One of her songs, “Ain Al-Adhraa” (The Virgin’s Eye), was a radio hit, and “Bokra Jadeed” (Tomorrow is New) was among the five songs selected for the Euromed International Festival in 2006. Dalal, also known as Amna, combined her artistic career with her academic studies.

She graduated from the Bishop’s School (Clerical School) in Nazareth in 2001. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science and Psychology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, followed by a MA degree. She was then accepted to study medicine at the Technion in Haifa.

She became the first Palestinian Arab to study this specialized field, which combines computer science, medicine, biology, biophysics, psychology, and philosophy. In 2006, she enrolled in the graduate program at the Technion where she earned a MSC degree in Medical Sciences, specializing in neuroscience.

In 2011, she began working as a researcher and doctoral candidate at the same institute in the field of neuroscience, where she is developing a new technological method for treating chronic neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

She is a Palestinian singer, producer, and a PhD researcher in neurology from the Haifa Institute of Technology, the Technion.

Dalal Abu Amneh was born in Nazareth on 9 August, 1983 and became captivated by science and music at a young age. In music, Dalal got to be known for her melodious voice and ability to perform various musical styles.

In this she forged a global Palestinian identity producing all of her musical projects while making three albums: “Ya Baladi,” “Ya Sitti,” and “Nour,” underlined in the spirit and heritage of the Palestinian and Arab people while at the same developing didactic vocal styles including classical Tarab, Andalusian singing, Sufi spiritual chanting, and her revival of Palestinian and Levantine folk traditions.

Dalal grew up in an artistic family. Her mother, Juhaina Al-Hawari, has a beautiful voice but has not pursued a professional musical career, but looked after her children. Her father, Ghazi Abu Amneh, plays the oud and owns a fish restaurant. She has four sisters: Nida, Salam, Jihan, and Faten. Salam and Jihan work in the arts and singing, while Nida and Faten work in visual arts due to their hearing impairments.

Dalal began singing at the age of four, participating in the Princess of Spring competition and winning the title in 1987 with her song “Maryam Maryamti.” By the age of 16, she was known for her masterful performances of classical Arabic songs and traditional roles, in addition to her renditions of Palestinian and Levantine folk songs. Leading musicians in the Arab world, such as Salah El Sharnouby and Asala Nasri, have praised her voice, which they said blends authenticity with modernity.

Dalal is commited to socially-conscious art and is working to develop Palestinian art scene in a way to preserve its authenticity while appealing to younger generations and western audiences to strengthen Palestinian identity and support the Palestinian cause.

Over the years, Dalal participated in major international and Arab festivals, such as the Jerash Festival and the Arab Music Festival at the Cairo Opera House and represented Palestine in several Arab operettas, including “Land of the Prophets” (2012) and “Call of Freedom” (2014).

She also regularly participates in cultural and artistic events locally, regionally, and internationally. In addition to her performances with her own band, Dalal is the principal singer of the MESTO World Orchestra, performing traditional Arab and Palestinian songs with western musicians and orchestral arrangements worldwide.

Dalal released several popular songs, including “Ana Qalbi wa Rouhi Fidaak” (My Heart and Soul Are Yours) in 2001, with lyrics by Adnan Abbasi, music by Alaa Azzam, and arrangement by Habib Shehadeh. It was recorded at Karam Matar Studios.

She also released “Khallini Fi Balak” (Keep Me in Mind) in 2003 and two albums: “Kareem Ya Ramadan” (Generous Ramadan) in 2007 and “An Baladi” (About My Country) in 2013, an album that explores Palestine from various perspectives and through diverse musical styles.

One of her songs, “Ain Al-Adhraa” (The Virgin’s Eye), was a radio hit, and “Bokra Jadeed” (Tomorrow is New) was among the five songs selected for the Euromed International Festival in 2006. Dalal, also known as Amna, combined her artistic career with her academic studies.

She graduated from the Bishop’s School (Clerical School) in Nazareth in 2001. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science and Psychology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, followed by a MA degree. She was then accepted to study medicine at the Technion in Haifa.

She became the first Palestinian Arab to study this specialized field, which combines computer science, medicine, biology, biophysics, psychology, and philosophy. In 2006, she enrolled in the graduate program at the Technion where she earned a MSC degree in Medical Sciences, specializing in neuroscience.

In 2011, she began working as a researcher and doctoral candidate at the same institute in the field of neuroscience, where she is developing a new technological method for treating chronic neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

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Fadwa Tuqan: A Poet of Palestine
  • HebaHeba
  • August 6, 2026

Palestinian Heritage facebook page

Fadwa Tuqan (1917-2003) was one of the most important Palestinian poets of the 20th century. Born in Nablus to a prominent Palestinian family, she was known as the “Poet of Palestine” because her poetry provided a strong foundation for exploring women’s experiences of love, revolution, and protest against society.

Fadwa Tuqan received her education only up to the primary level, as her family considered women’s participation in public life unacceptable. She left school and continued her education independently. Later, she studied under her brother, the renowned Palestinian poet Ibrahim Tuqan, who nurtured her talents and guided her towards writing poetry.

He encouraged her to publish in numerous Arab newspapers and called her “Umm Tammam” (Mother of Tammam). Mahmoud Darwish later dubbed her “Umm al-Shi’r al-Filastini” (Mother of Palestinian Poetry).

Although she signed her early poems with the pen name “Dananeer,” a name derived from a slave girl’s name, her favorite pseudonym was “al-Mutawwaqa” (the Encircled One) because it contained a double entendre, a subtle and eloquent allusion to the poet’s specific circumstances. The word “Matawwaqa” means her affiliation with the well-known Touqan family, and at the same time symbolizes her circumstances in a traditional, unforgiving society.

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Pitching Together, Palestine

Mutual aid was more than just a social custom; it was an unwritten pact that united hearts before hands, making the community one home whose doors were never closed to anyone. As soon as someone began building a house, harvesting a crop, or pouring concrete for a roof, men would rush from every direction, carrying picks and stones, each offering their labor with love and contentment, without expecting any reward or compensation.

Generosity was deeply rooted in their hearts, and the sound of folk songs would fill the air, easing the hardship of the work and planting joy in their hearts. The owner of the concrete structure would slaughter a sheep or a goat in honor of those who stood by him, and the women would prepare the food. The workday would then transform into a celebration of cooperation and love, showcasing the most beautiful aspects of Palestinian solidarity. Today, life has become a heavy burden on people… everyone is preoccupied with their livelihood, work, and studies… many of the values ​​we were raised on have faded… and “mutual assistance” has become more of a tale from a bygone era than a reality… Yet, this spirit hasn’t died… it still lies dormant in the hearts of the people of this nation… waiting for someone to awaken it and restore it to its rightful place.

Nations are not preserved by their buildings and markets alone… but also by their authentic values… and by the sense of honor that compels a person to rush to the aid of their brother before being asked… Does that spirit of mutual assistance that once united people in love still exist among us… or has it become a memory we recount to our children with endless nostalgia?

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In Art: Trapped Under The Rubble

Said Alatab writes:

My painting depicts a Palestinian mother and her children trapped beneath the rubble after bombing Gaza City. This work reflects the immense suffering, loss, and tragedy endured by innocent families caught in war. Through this painting, I hope to honor the victims and remind the world of the human cost of violence. Please share it. Please share and support my art

Alatab is a professional artist currently living in the United States having immigrated there in 1979. He was born in the Sabra and Shatila Camp in Beirut in 1959. After studying art in New York he became a professional artist with alluring paintings that display fascinating features which he says are inspired by his personal journey, struggles, and observations of the world.

“I often explore suffering, hope, and the human condition,” he points out. Currently, as his displayed works show, he is focusing on the war in Gaza and the suffering of its civilians. “For me, art is more than a career. It is my life’s purpose, a way to preserve memory and inspire reflection. I continue to paint to express truth, emotion, and hope.”

One of the artists who has influenced Alatab most is the great artist Vincent Van Gogh. “I feel a deep connection to his emotion, honesty, and intensity. His dedication to painting despite hardship inspires me to continue creating art that reflects my life, my struggles, and my vision of humanity,” he comments.

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