Bethlehem/PNN /
George Carlos Khader Canawati is a Palestinian Journalist and a Scout Leader who was born in Bethlehem in 1984. He is married and a father of four children; two sons (Carlos and Chris) and two daughters (Talia and Loris). After completing high school at the Collège des Frères Bethlehem, he joined Al-Quds Open University to obtain a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2020. Then he continued his study by enrolling in the postgraduate program at the Arab American University in Ramallah to receive his Master’s degree in Contemporary Public Relations and Strategic Communication in 2022.
Among the interests and activities that George likes doing are: playing football, swimming, exercising, and sports in general. Among his friends and community, he is known for his stubbornness, persistence, and determination to face all the challenges and difficulties to achieve his goals, even if that takes a while.
As for Canawati’s professional life, he is the General Manager of Radio Bethlehem 2000, where he started as a sound engineer working in the control unit. He worked in the radio programs, and advertising section, then became the assistant to General Manager until he was appointed in his current position in 2007. Canawati presents one of the main programs of Radio Bethlehem 2000, which is “Amaar Ya Balad”. It is a weekly critical program that focuses on political and social issues. Through this program, Canawati raises public opinion about current issues, addressing and questioning decision-makers.
Canawati has been subjected to detention and was arrested several times by the security services due to his journalistic work and critical publications, and social media posts content about the performance of the administrations of some official institutions; the last of which was at the beginning of the current year 2023. In terms of volunteer work and community service, Canawati joined the Terra Sancta Scout Troop - Manger Eagles in Bethlehem in 1996. That started by chance when his parents noticed his great interest in voluntary work, helping others, and serving the church, society, and the country, so they encouraged him to join the scout movement to develop this aspect of his personality. Since then, he joined the Terra Sancta Scout Troop which is related to the Latin parish in Bethlehem, as a cub within the cub group.
He was included in the various sections of the scout troop until he reached his current position as theCommander-in-chief of the troop following the elections held by the troop’s leadership council in July 2020.
Finally, Canawati considers scouting a lifestyle; it has goals and basics that refine one’s personality. To enhance that, he participated in the various courses provided and offered by the scouting movement, and he obtained the wooden badge in 2006. He also became an assistant leader of international training in 2021 and a leader of international training courses in 2022. During his scouting life, Canawati led more than one scout camp and carried out scout assessments through which he could transfer different experiences to the scout movement children in Palestine. Furthermore, he participated in many scout camps in the world as a representative of his troop and his country, including regional scout camps in Jordan and other local ones in Palestine.
