Leadership

Fatina Ja’ouni-Hodali is a co-founder of ROA Center for Political and Strategic Studies. Previously, she served as a policy advisor at the Palestinian Negotiations Support Project of the Negotiation Affairs Department between 2013 and 2021 with a focus on territorial issues, including borders, Jerusalem, and the Israeli settlement enterprise. Ms. Hodali has authored and co-authored policy papers related to the conflict. Ms. Hodali is also a Geographical Information System expert and participated in the production of the first regional plan for the West Bank and Gaza in 1998 at the Palestinian Ministry of Planning. As a GIS expert, Fatina has later advised on the mapping of electoral boundaries on local, regional, and national levels for the Central Elections Commission of Palestine and for the Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq, as well as for mapping postal code areas for the Ministry of Telecommunication for both the West Bank and Gaza. Fatina holds a Master's degree in economic theory and a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture and physical planning, both from the University of Birzeit in Palestine.

On a voluntary basis, Fatina is a member of the board of directors of the Palestinian Housing Council and has been holding the position of treasurer since 2016.

Ms. Hodali was born in Jerusalem and is the mother of three.

Mr. Loay Hawash is a Treasurer and Board Member of RO'A Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

the General Manager of the Palestine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC). Through PDIC’s membership in the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI), he serves on its Executive Council and Investment Committee. 

Mr. Hawash has more than 21 years of experience in the banking, finance, and insurance sectors. Before joining PDIC, he served as General Manager of the Palestinian Road Accident Victims Compensation Fund from 2019 to 2022. He previously held senior roles at The National Bank, including Assistant General Manager and Head of Retail Banking, where he contributed to the development and implementation of the bank’s strategies and business plans.

From 1998 to 2016, Mr. Hawash worked at Arab Bank’s regional management office in Ramallah, holding several leadership positions in credit, collections, and branch management. His final role was District Manager for the Central and Southern Areas.

Mr. Hawash holds a master’s degree in International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Birzeit University. He is also a Certified Branch Manager and holds several specialized certifications in banking, finance, and management.

Mr. Misyef Misyef is the Secretary and a member of the Board of Directors of RO’A Center for Political and Strategic Studies. Since July 2015, he has worked as a researcher at the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS).

Prior to joining MAS, Mr. Misyef held several positions at the Palestinian Ministry of Finance. From 2010 to July 2015, he served as Assistant to the Director General of Customs and Excise. Between 2007 and 2010, he worked as the UNCTAD Coordinator, overseeing the implementation of UNCTAD projects in Palestine, particularly those related to customs automation and data management for the Ministry of Finance. He also coordinated projects involving the Palestinian Shippers’ Council, the Palestinian Investment Promotion Agency, and the Ministry of National Economy’s work related to the World Trade Organization.

From 2001 to 2007, he served as Project Manager of the ASYCUDA customs system. Earlier in his career, he worked as Deputy Director for Economic Planning and Information Analysis at the Ministry of Finance from 1997 to 2001.

Mr. Misyef holds a master’s degree in Economics from Al-Quds University, awarded in 2000, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Birzeit University, awarded in 1994.

Ashraf Khatib is a co-founder of ROA Center for Political and Strategic Studies. He previously served at the Negotiation Affairs Department (NAD) of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Ashraf has extensive experience in the field of Palestinian public relations and diplomacy and is closely involved with the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information in its bid to pursue new technologies for the State of Palestine. Ashraf holds a BS from the University of Little Rock in Arkansas and an MSc degree in International Development (Governance and State-building) with distinction from the University of Birmingham. His dissertation, titled “Internationalization of the Palestinian cause: Alternative Strategy or Delusion,” covers areas related to the state-building efforts and the role of non-state actors in the conflict. He has written several academic papers on topics such as democratization, understanding policy transfer, and the role of social movements in conflicts. 

Over the past 20 years, Ashraf Khatib has invested significantly in his professional expertise and academic capacity in the field of Palestinian politics, international development, diplomacy, and negotiations, with a special interest in topics such as state building and governance. He is capable of performing in-depth research, strategizing and developing projects, in addition to having long experience in preparing policy papers, reports, fact factsheets, press releases, Op-Eds, talking points and briefs.

Ms. Ghada Omari is a community leader with over 20 years of experience in volunteer coordination, youth development, and community project implementation. She has led more than 50 impactful projects across the education, environmental, and social sectors, while building strong partnerships with local and international organizations.

She currently serves as the Coordinator of Volunteer and Community Engagement at Birzeit University and holds a master’s degree in Gender and Development. Her expertise includes team leadership, event planning, community outreach, and fundraising. In recognition of her contributions, she has received the Distinguished Employee Award and a top recognition from INJAZ Al-Arab.

Ms. Omari is also a Certified International Professional Trainer (CIPT). She is passionate about combining academic knowledge with practical field experience to advance sustainable development and strengthen community service.