Politicsמאזן גנאים

Mazen Ghnaim

Mazen Ghnaim is an Israeli Arab politician who has served as mayor of Sakhnin and was a Knesset member for the United Arab List from 2021 to 2022.

born 1956Mayor of SakhninChairman of Bnei SakhninUnited Arab List Knesset member

Born: 30 November 1956, Sakhnin
Occupation: politician, association football player, handyman, businessperson
Party: Balad, United Arab List

Mazen Ghnaim was born in 1956 in Sakhnin

Ghnaim was born in Sakhnin on 30 November 1956. He started out in renovation work and came to own a renovation company. He played for the Hapoel Sakhnin football club until the age of 27.

When Hapoel and Maccabi Sakhnin merged into Bnei Sakhnin, he became chairman of the new club. He also sat on the board of the Israel Football Association, and the club won the State Cup under his leadership. He was eighth on the Balad list in 2006 and was not elected.

In 2008 he left the club to run for mayor of Sakhnin and won with about 59% of the vote. In 2009 remarks he made at a protest during Operation Cast Lead drew criticism, and he said they were misunderstood. In 2015 he was elected chairman of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab citizens of Israel.

He lost the 2018 mayoral election. In 2021 he joined the United Arab List, was second on its list, and entered the Knesset. He did not run again in 2022 and was elected mayor of Sakhnin again in 2024. He is married with 4 children and lives in Sakhnin.