Between 1991 and 1994, Hassan worked at the PLO’s Unified Information Department in Tunis. He was the editor of the report Palestine in French Media and of Message of Palestine, a French-language bulletin. Later, he served as the Paris-based correspondent for Filastin Al-Thawra (Palestine the Revolution), which at the time was the official organ of the PLO.In 1994, Hassan returned to Palestine and stayed in Gaza until 2006. During that period, he worked at the Ministry of Information and was in charge of the foreign press desk. In the meantime, he founded the French-language television program of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) and was the presenter of the French-language news bulletin. He then moved to the Presidential Court, where he managed political affairs during the term of the late President Yasser Arafat. Subsequently, he joined the staff of the Protocol Department and was assigned as translator and person in charge of liaising with French delegations. He also served as secretary of the Palestine Branch of the International Francophone Press Union, deputy editor-in-chief of the Francophone Palestinienne, and coordinator of the Cinema Club.
In 2006, Hassan was commissioned to the Palestinian Mission in Paris and later joined the Palestinian Mission at UNESCO, where he stayed until the end of 2010. During that period, he was in charge of the media dossier for Jerusalem: Capital of Arab Culture 2009 festival in Ramallah.
In early 2011, Hassan returned to Ramallah and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was in charge of the Media Unit until the end of 2012, when he returned to study at the École nationale d’administration, ENA, in Strasbourg, France. At ENA, Hassan obtained a diploma in the summer of 2013 and a master’s degree in European studies from Sorbonne University. Simultaneously, he attended a course at the Louvre’s media department, which prompted him to make the museums in France the topic of his master’s thesis. In June 2014, he was commissioned again to join the diplomatic corps at the Palestinian Mission to the European Union, Belgium, and Luxembourg, serving as a counselor on bilateral relations.
Hassan is an author as well, whose books include (in French) Gaza: Behind the Scenes of the Palestinian National Movement, published in 2008 by a Paris-based publishing house; Gaza and the National Palestinian Movement was published in 2017 in Arabic in Amman, Jordan; and most recently, Hani Al Hassan: The Voice of Elegant Presence and Thundery Storm. He has also participated in a number of documentaries on Palestine. At present, Hassan regularly writes in Palestinian newspapers and websites on the historical and cultural ties between Palestine and Belgium and contributes to collective communal activities such as the Assembly of Mediterranean Citizens (FACM), where he serves as an advisory board member.
In addition to his diplomatic work, Hassan Albalawi attaches importance to the cultural activity in Belgium regarding Palestine, to relations with Belgian municipalities that are twinned with Palestinian cities, and to the Solidarity with Palestine Movement.
