Hilmi Hanoun

Hilmi Hanoun (; 1913–2001) was a Palestinian businessman, journalist and politician. He served as the mayor of Tulkarem between 1963 and 1998.

Early life and education Born in Jaffa in 1913 Hanoun hailed from a landowning family based in Tulkarm. His mother, Asya, was the sister of Yousef Haikal and was a graduate of the English Girls' School in Jaffa. The family left Jaffa in the early period of World War I and settled in Tulkarm in November 1914. He remained in office until his resignation in 1998.

Views Hanoun was one of the early individuals at the beginning of the 1970s who regarded the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and official representative of the Palestinians wherever they were living. He did not support the Jordanian authority over the independence of Palestine.

After the introduction of the autonomy plans suggested by the Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon in 1981 Hanoun argued that these plans should be first accepted by the PLO and that Israel was trying to create a local leadership among the Palestinians excluding the PLO. Unlike other leading Palestinian figures Hanoun did not accept the meeting invitation of the Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin to improve the conditions of the West Bank and Gaza Strip residents in June 1988. Hanoun opposed the Oslo Accords like other mayors in Palestine who protested them through many demonstrations. The Tulkarm residents described Hanoun as an honest person stating "there is no dust on him." He enjoyed support of all factions within the PLO.

Death Hanoun died on 29 July 2001.