Arna Mer Khamis

Arna Mer-Khamis (20 March 1929 – 15 February 1995) was an Israeli Jewish political and human rights activist.

Arna Mer was born in 1929, in Rosh Pinna, at that time in Mandate Palestine. Mer's father was Gideon Mer, a Lithuanian-born Jewish scientist who pioneered the study of malaria during the British Mandate. Mer fought with the Palmach and Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

Mer married Saliba Khamis, a Christian Arab and a prominent member of Maki and had three sons, Spartacus, Juliano (who adopted the name Juliano Mer-Khamis) and Abir. Juliano, an actor, filmmaker and peace activist who was murdered in 2011, directed the film Arna's Children about Mer's work with the Freedom Theatre.

Mer was an active member of the Communist party in Israel. During the First Intifada, as part of a project to support the education of children in the West Bank, she established the organisation In the Defence of Children under Occupation/Care and Learning, and later established the Freedom Theatre in Jenin refugee camp.

In 1993, Mer was awarded the Right Livelihood Award. In her acceptance speech, Arna Mer-Khamis expressed her sympathy for Palestinian refugee children and their sufferings.

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