Manal Khader was born on September 7, 1968, in Jerusalem, where her father ran a cosmetics factory and her mother, a former mathematics teacher, had left her job. Growing up in a comfortable bourgeois environment, Manal spent her early years in a beautiful villa in Ramallah, where she experienced a happy childhood, despite occasional exceptions, such as the humiliating presence of Israeli soldiers, frequent checkpoint visits to see her grandparents in Jordan, and the fact that her father's family had been forced out of Jerusalem.
As a result of her family's strong emphasis on education, Manal and her brother were sent to Germany in 1986, when the first Intifada began and the Palestinian faculty closed, to continue their studies under the protection of an uncle. Initially, Manal felt like a stranger in Germany, particularly since she did not speak the language, but she successfully learned German and completed her studies.
During her time in Germany, Manal became involved in Palestinian student organizations, which led to her being repeatedly refused a visa when she attempted to return to Ramallah. However, she began her career as a freelance journalist in Germany and, in 1992, became a Middle East correspondent for ARD, Germany's leading television station.
Before the Intifada, a friend, Elia Suleiman, had shared the script of "Divine Intervention" with Manal, who did not initially imagine she would be involved in the film. However, a few weeks before shooting, Suleiman offered her the lead role, which she initially hesitated to accept but ultimately did.
"Divine Intervention" is a major film that denounces the permanent and daily violence that has destroyed Palestinian society, using a gallery of characters and a smile to convey its message. Manal's participation in the film was pivotal, as she personally reported many of the incidents depicted in the story, including a striking incident that took place at a checkpoint.
The film premiered at the Cannes International Festival and received widespread acclaim, providing Manal with the opportunity to appear in other works, such as "Everyday is a Holiday" (2009) by Lebanese director Dima Horr and "The Ugly One" (2013) by French director Eric Baudelaire. However, her primary activity remains that of a journalist.
Since 2010, Manal has been the Co-editor of Kalamon, a Beirut-based cultural quarterly review published in Arabic. In 2015, she co-edited a book titled "Arabic language and social media" with Lebanese linguist and historian Ahmad Baydoun.
