Background
Hilou was born in Jaffa to Christian Arab parents.
politician Knesset member social assistant
Hilou was born in Jaffa to Christian Arab parents.
She studied at Tel Aviv University where she gained a Bachelor in social work in 1976.
She was the second female Israeli Arab MK after Hussniya Jabara, and also the first female Christian MK. She later returned to qualify for an Master of Arts in the same subject 1992. In 1997 she became director of the Division for the Status of Women in the Union of local authorities, and in 2002 became deputy chairwoman of the Na"amat Women"s Organisation. She served as chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
One of her first acts was to co-sponsor a successful bill strengthening laws against cyber sex with minors.
She has also initiated legislation on compensating the relatives of murder victims. In 2013 her autobiography, titled The Pioneer from Ajami, was published in Hebrew by HaKibbutz HaMeuhad Press.
Hilou lived in Jaffa, and died in February 2015.
Hilou entered politics following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. She joined the Labour Party, and ran in party primaries prior to the Knesset elections in 1996 and 1999. However, on both occasions she failed to finish high enough up the list to win a seat, and was criticised for not joining one of the Arab parties.