Hakam Umar As‘ad Balawi (1939-) is a Palestinian politician and has been a member of the Palestinian National Authority cabinet and the Palestinian Legislative Council. He was born in the town of Bal'a, near Tulkarm in British Mandate Palestine.[1]
Balawi became the Deputy Head of the Central Information Committee of Fatah from 1968-78. His political career began when he was assigned as the Palestine Liberation Organization's ambassador to Libya from 1973-75. After, serving as ambassador he became a staunch Fatah activist and then served as an ambassador of the PLO to Tunisia between 1983-94.[1]
Yasser Arafat assigned Balawi the cabinet post of Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority in November 2003. Currently he is a member of the Palestinian National Council and the Secretary of the Union of Palestinian Writers and Journalists.[1] During Arafat's presidency of the PNA and his chairmanship of the PLO, Balawi was said to be a "loyalist".[2]
Balawi has also engaged in writing several plays and novels. He is married with four children.[1]