Raleb Majadele was born in 1953 in Baka el-Garbia, an Arab Israeli town in the Lower Galilee.
A businessman and public activist, Majadele has been active in the areas of problem-solving within the Arab sector, as well as the affairs of the residents in the Baka el-Garbia region - Arabs and Jews alike. He served as Secretary of the "Noar Haoved" youth movement and of the Regional Workers' Council, as well as head of the Education and Sport Department in the Histadrut.
A Member of Knesset since June 2004, Majadale has served on a number of Knesset committees: Education, Culture, and Sports; Labor, Welfare, and Health; Science and Technology; Public Petitions; and Foreign Workers; and as chairman of the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee. He is also a member of the Social-Environmental Lobby.
In January 2007, Raleb Majadele was appointed Minister without Portfolio, Israel's first Arab government minister. In March 2007 he was appointed Minister of Science, Culture and Sports.
He is married and the father of four.