 Wadah was born in the Palestinian town of Jenin in 1968 to the Khanfar family of Yemenite origin.He obtained a bachelor of science degree in engineering at the University of Jordan in 1990 and went on to complete a post-graduate degree in philosophy, a diploma in African Studies from Sudan International University and an Honors Degree in International Politics.During this time, Khanfar started a student's union that soon spread to several other universities and an inter-university dialogue group among students constituted from a range of political backgrounds.