I was born in Nazareth and in 1948, we were kicked, we moved, or whatever to Jordan. I was raised as a Palestinian refugee. We left my grandfather's home in Nazareth. We had a lot of land with olive trees--one thousand dunam. One acre equals four dunam. We lived in an estate house. When we moved we lost everything. My father became, instead of a rich men, a men living next to a refuge camp, with Bedouins and desert. He doesn't belong to that society. He died at 45 years old. He left us, my mother and three children. I was the youngest. He died of a stroke, and when I read his history now, I can understand how much stress he was under. I am not trying to tell a dramatic story but he was 45, a young man; I am 56 and I still have strong body.

After that I went to the Hashemite kingdom military college and graduated after the 1967 war. I served in the Jordanian army in the engineering department. I have training in special forces and parachuting. All of my services in front line, near Jordanian River. I fought in the 1967 war and in the battle of Karamah.

I created for myself a winning formula, to be independent and strong, but inside I feel like there is a reason for what happened. Why do I have to pay price for what Hitler did to the Jews? Why did my father pay the price for what Stalin did to Jews in Russia? We did nothing before 1948. Why did I loose my bedroom in Nazareth? I was two years old when we left, but I remember my own bedroom, and I remember toys, a small airplane with two wings and a small engine. In Jordan the whole family lived in one tent. The wind came around the tent. I still remember the whistling sound of the wind.

I came to the US in 1990. When we went to the mall,to the shopping center, to Price Club, we met Israelis with kepah. I tried to stay away from them. Then in line in Price club, we were behind each other in cash register. The American Jews started talking, "ma shlomha? Do speak Hebrew?"

"A little bit."

They talk to me, but I am not relaxed. But I find that American Palestinians living here and American Jews living here, I find that there are many things in common. Then I have a seminar and my coach is Jewish from Brooklyn. His name is Allan. He gives the seminar. And he says he has another name, Sulieman. I ask from where he gets this name, and he says from a Palestinian family in Gaza. They are his friends. He is Jewish from Brooklyn. He travels all over and he gives the same seminar in Gaza and he becomes friends with many, many Palestinians.

Palestinian-Jewish party at Nader's house	Nader's wife, Nader, Alan, and Alan's daughter

So I invite him to my house, and I invite twenty-five people to my house, half of them Jewish and half Christian. Two years ago. So I tell that my wife that we also need to invite twelve Moslems to make shiskabab party. My wife says, "What, Jewish people under my roof!" So I say, "Yes, I will start something new now." And my wife makes all the delicious food--shishkabah, humous, tabouli, falafel. My son is an excellent piano player he makes Farouz and Aum Kalthoom. We dance and we share food and talk. From that time I receive many invitations from many Jewish friends. I create for myself many possibilities. If you ask me, who I am, I am peacemaker and compassionate leader.

My fifth grandson, I gave him his name, Salaam.