The Palestine Center for Public Policy, the nation’s first center dedicated to conducting research, studies, and distributing position papers aimed at influencing public policy on Palestine, today announced that Malak Afaneh has been named as its new Director.

Before joining the Palestine Center for Public Policy, Afaneh received her J.D. from UC Berkeley Law and has a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Middle Eastern Studies from Pomona College. She has worked over five years in the field of public interest, including with organizations like the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, the International Legal Foundation, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, and more. Afaneh also served as Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine Co-President, where she drafted the first BDS bylaw in the law school’s history, aimed at ensuring student organizations alignment with the boycott, divest, sanctions movement. Afaneh continues to serve as a volunteer with several civil society organizations including as a Palestinian Youth Movement member and a U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights Coach.

Afaneh’s involvement with the Palestine Center for Public Policy stems from an enthusiasm to challenge anti-Palestinian racism in all its forms, promote positive change in public opinion around Palestine, and foster a deeper understanding of meaningful policy solutions for generations to come.

“As the daughter of Palestinian immigrants from Abu Ghosh and Al-Khalil, and as we witness the Western media’s obscuring of the true nature of the genocide in Gaza, I am proud to be joining the Center to contribute to establishing a vibrant platform for research and discussion that empowers Palestinians to shape their destiny,” said Afaneh.