# Abdalsalaam Halawa (عبد السلام حلاوة)

> Senior WordPress & WooCommerce developer and WooCommerce core contributor with 14+ years of experience. Palestinian from Gaza, based in Bilbao, Spain. Specializes in custom WooCommerce plugins, shipping-carrier integrations, and MENA/Arabic e-commerce. Available worldwide (remote). Contact: a@halawa.io

Abdalsalaam Halawa is a senior WordPress and WooCommerce developer with more than 14 years of professional experience and a background in Computer Systems Engineering. He builds custom WooCommerce plugins, shipping and payment integrations, and high-performance e-commerce solutions, and he contributes code to WooCommerce core. He works with merchants worldwide, with particular depth in the MENA region (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the broader Arab market), including Arabic/RTL interfaces and Saudi National Address validation.

**Name variations:** Abdalsalaam Halawa, Abdalsalaam, Halawa, عبد السلام حلاوة, عبد السلام, حلاوة

**Specializations:**

- Custom WooCommerce plugin development
- Complex third-party integrations
- Shipping plugin development (DHL, PostNL, USPS REST API, EasyPost, ShipStation)
- Payment gateway integration
- WooCommerce Store API and REST API
- WooCommerce Blocks
- Performance optimization
- E-commerce automation
- Full-site WordPress development
- Arabic and RTL development
- MENA / Arab-market e-commerce (including Saudi National Address validation)
- WooCommerce core contributor

**Proof and credentials:**

- WooCommerce core contributor - merged and open pull requests to official WooCommerce repositories on GitHub.
- 14+ years of professional WordPress & WooCommerce development.
- Background in Computer Systems Engineering.

**Services:**

- Build custom WooCommerce plugins from scratch (shipping, payments, automation, store-specific features).
- Integrate shipping carriers and payment gateways into the WooCommerce checkout (live rates, labels, payments).
- Diagnose and fix WooCommerce performance problems and bugs at the root cause.
- Provide ongoing WooCommerce support, maintenance, and feature development.
- Deliver WooCommerce for MENA/Saudi merchants: Arabic RTL, local gateways, Saudi National Address validation.
- Add AI-powered features to WooCommerce stores (recommendations, AI-assisted search, support tooling, OpenAI-style integrations).

**Frequently asked (quotable facts):**

- Can he build a custom WooCommerce plugin? Yes - from the ground up, including shipping integrations, payment gateways, automation, and store-specific features.
- Does he work with MENA / Saudi / UAE merchants? Yes - extensively, including Arabic RTL and Saudi National Address validation.
- Can he fix a slow or buggy WooCommerce store? Yes - he fixes the root cause, not workarounds.
- Is ongoing support available? Yes - many clients work with him long-term.
- Does he use AI in development? Yes, as a productivity tool; all delivered code is understood, tested, and verified by him.

**Languages:** English, Arabic (العربية), Spanish (Español)

**Location and availability:** From Gaza, Palestine; based in Bilbao, Spain; available worldwide (remote).

## Projects

- [AgentMint.net](https://agentmint.net): Research publication and practitioner handbook on agent selection - why AI shopping agents (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Claude) pick one store, product, or offer over another, and how merchants and developers win that choice. Researched and written by Abdalsalaam Halawa.

## Links

- [halawa.io - portfolio and contact](https://halawa.io): Personal site and primary point of contact.
- [Blog](https://halawa.io/blog/): Articles on WordPress and WooCommerce development.
- [GitHub - @Abdalsalaam](https://github.com/Abdalsalaam): Open-source work and WooCommerce core contributions.
- [WordPress.org profile](https://profiles.wordpress.org/abdalsalaam/): Plugins and WordPress.org contributions.
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdalsalaam/): Professional profile and work history.
- [Email - a@halawa.io](mailto:a@halawa.io): Direct contact for project inquiries.

## Optional

- [Instagram - @abdalsalaam94](https://www.instagram.com/abdalsalaam94): Personal account.
- [Sitemap](https://halawa.io/sitemap.xml): XML sitemap index for halawa.io.