I am a poet by essence; all other identities are subordinate.

Hilmi M. Zawati, born in Nablus in 1953, is a renowned Palestinian poet, playwright, novelist and international humanitarian and human rights jurist. Over the past five decades, he has published several books, numerous articles, and research papers in Arabic and English, demonstrating his significant interdisciplinary scholarship. His literary and legal works have been translated into several languages and have been the subject of various academic and journalistic works.

In addition to his literary accomplishments, Zawati has pursued extensive legal education at several prestigious institutions. He holds a Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) in International Criminal Law and an M.A. in International Comparative Law from McGill University, a PhD in International Energy Political Economics from CPU, an M.A. in Islamic Law of Nations from Punjab University, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Public International Law from Khartoum University, and an LL.B. from Alexandria University. His academic and literary achievements have established him as a distinguished figure in literature and law.

Zawati is also known for his contributions to international humanitarian and human rights law. He has been a committed human rights activist over the last four decades and has actively advocated human rights of wartime rape victims throughout the world ever since the first reports of war crimes during the Yugoslav dissolution war of 1992-1995. He is also the author of several prize-winning books on international humanitarian and human rights law, including his book Fair Labelling and the Dilemma of Prosecuting Gender-Based Crimes at the International Criminal Tribunals (New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2015). Zawati’s extensive literary and academic work has cemented his reputation as a prominent authority in the fields of literature and law, making significant contributions to both disciplines.