Maswadeh was born and raised in the Muslim Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem, to Monzer Maswadeh and Iman Maswadeh. He is the eldest brother of six sisters. He attended "Al-Iman" High school.[3]
He studied accounting at Birzeit University in the Palestinian town of Birzeit.[3] While attending college, he worked at a hotel in Jerusalem and realized that workers who spoke Hebrew made better tips. He decided to drop out of college and work full time.[2]
Two years into his studies at Birzeit University, Maswadeh enrolled in a year-long intensive Hebrew language program, and then transferred to Jerusalem's Hadassah Academic College via a scholarship, where he studied journalism. While studying, he found a job at the Israeli television channel Kan 11.[2]
As of 2024 Maswadeh, serves as a political reporter for Kan 11 and resides in Tel Aviv.[4] He also works as a radio journalist for Reshet Bet.[5]
Career
Maswadeh first became interested in journalism during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.[2]
While studying at Hadassah Academic College, Maswadeh had an internship at Kan 11's Arabic channel. After a few months, he was transferred to the Hebrew channel, where he worked as a field producer and later as an Arab affairs reporter, a role he disliked. He then worked as the channel's Jerusalem correspondent, where he reported on both Arab and Jewish affairs.[2]
In 2023, Maswadeh was promoted to political correspondent and anchor for Kan 11, and moved to Tel Aviv to work there.[2] Later that year, Maswadeh received a "special award of excellence" from Hadassah Academic College for his journalistic career.[5]
Personal life
Maswadeh has held Israeli citizenship since February 2024.[6] Up to that point, he was a permanent resident and had an Israeli identity card and a Jordanian passport.[2]
Maswadeh has said he experiences some pressure from his family and community, especially when his reporting does not reflect the Palestinian community positively; for example, in 2020, Maswadeh reported on COVID-19 restriction violations at the Al-Aqsa complex. He has also reported receiving death threats.[2]
^Maswadeh, Suleiman; Kuban, Roni (20 April 2024). "פגישה עם רוני קובן" [Meeting with Roni Kuban]. kan.org.il (Video) (in Hebrew). 2:05-2:06. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
