Peoria Public Library - Main Street Branch

A voice of reason, Hanan Ashrawi and peace in the Middle East, Barbara Victor

eng

individual biography

illustrations

index present

non fiction

A voice of reason

30156680

Barbara Victor

Hanan Ashrawi and peace in the Middle East

Hanan Ashrawi has pulled off a momentous coup: changing the public image of the PLO from that of a terrorist organization to one of a government-in-exile poised for peaceful change and political responsibilityA Voice of Reason is the story of this dramatic shift in perception and of the woman responsible for it, one whose status as an anomaly among her own people - an intellectual and a leader while also a wife and mother, a Christian in a predominantly Muslim society - has ideally suited her for the role of intermediary between the West and the Arab worldThe daughter of a wealthy West Bank physician, Hanan had her first taste of political activism as a child living under Jordanian occupation, and later, as a professor of English at Bir Zeit University on the West Bank, she was involved in student uprisings, demonstrations, and confrontations with Israeli authorities. Articulate and politically astute, she was catapulted to international prominence on ABC's Nightline in April 1988, just after the beginning of the IntifadaSetting the details of Hanan Ashrawi's public and private life into the context of the Middle East's violent history, Victor gives equal time to anecdote and analysis, and impartially traces recent developments in the Israeli/Palestinian peace accordBased on fifteen months of interviews with Hanan Ashrawi, and other prominent Palestinians and Israelis, A Voice of Reason is an excellent, balanced introduction to the politics of a volatile region - and the moving story of how one remarkable woman made a difference in a world of seemingly irresolvable conflict

Shaking Hands with the Enemy -- The House on Radio Street -- In Exile -- Emil -- A Family Affair -- Grendel and Other Monsters -- The Rumor Mill -- Alternative Leadership -- Sleepless in Madrid -- Raja, Akram, and Belat -- The Turning Point -- Suhair -- The House in Borregard Manor -- In Resignation -- Life after Oslo -- On Her Own -- Appendix: The Oslo Accord