Palestinian you should know: Yunis Haleem

The following is from the special “Baseball Edition” of Palestine in America. The print edition of this magazine is exclusively for our subscribers. The digital version is available to the public for $2.

Yunis Haleem’s performance on the mound against Sri Lanka and his steadfastness against Pakistan in the finals earned him the “Best Pitcher” award at the West Asia Cup.

Haleem, who pitched for Chicago State University, is currently team Palestine’s pitcher, infielder, outfielder and captain. Originally from Beitnunia, Palestine, Haleem led the team with nine innings pitched, five of which came in a complete game shutout against Sri Lanka—the 2019 West Asia Cup champions. That win clinched the stage group for Palestine and gave the team the number one seed heading into the playoff round. Not only did Haleem pitch well, he batted .600 and drove in six runs during team Palestine’s historic run. 

Palestine in America talked to Haleem about his performance, his expectations for the team and how he became a baseball player.

Palestine in America [PiA]: Where are your parents from? 

Yunis Haleem [YH]: My father is from Betunia, Palestine and my mother is from the West Bank.

PiA: Who introduced you to baseball? 

YH: I would definitely say my father got me into baseball. It’s funny because my father has a picture of him and his friends playing baseball for fun in Palestine a long time ago, so it’s cool to know that my father is the reason I play baseball today. 

PiA: What’s the highest level you’ve competed at? 

YH: Alhamdulillah I’ve competed at the NCAA Division 1 level, and I’ve had a couple of overseas offers, but due to COVID-19 I had to stop playing.

PiA: How would you compare that to playing internationally and representing Palestine? 

YH: Nothing compares to playing for your country. To me, this is at a whole other level. This is much more than a game to us. This is representing our people who are going through so much, so we will be doing everything we can to make an impact for our people.

PiA: What are your expectations for the team the rest of this calendar year? 

YH: We are going to open up the eyes of the world–honestly this is what I expect. We have unbelievable talent so we are ready to make things happen.

PiA: Where do you see the Palestinian national team in five years? 

YH: I can honestly see Team Palestine in the Top 20 in the world and playing at a high level. We will make a name for ourselves and shock the world. 

PiA: What is your favorite team, and who is your favorite player?

YH: Chicago Cubs, and my favorite player is [now deceased] Yordano Ventura.