Abunimah, Ali 1971-

PERSONAL:

Born 1971, in Washington, DC. Education: Princeton University, B.A., 1993; University of Chicago, M.A., 1995.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Chicago, IL. E-mail—abunimah01@yahoo.com; ahabunim@midway.uchicago.edu.

CAREER:

Writer, commentator. University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, researcher in social policy; Arab-American Action Network, vice president; Electronic Intifada and Electronic Iraq founder, publisher, and editor.

WRITINGS:

One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse, Metropolitan Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to collections, including Iraq under Siege: The Deadly Impact of Sanctions and War, South End Press (Cambridge, MA), 2000; The New Intifada: Resisting Israel's Apartheid, edited by Roane Carey, Verso (New York, NY), 2001; and The Anti-Capitalism Reader, edited by Joel Schalit, Akashic Books (New York, NY), 2001; contributor to periodicals, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, Chicago Tribune, Jordan Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ha'aretz, and Daily Star (Lebanon).

SIDELIGHTS:

Ali Abunimah is the American-born son of Palestinian refugees, a media analyst whose goal is fair coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. A Tikkun interviewer wrote: "In every possible sense of the word, Abunimah is a revolutionary. Even if you don't agree with all of his political opinions, his intelligence, wit, and capacity to engage in serious dialogue with those who consider him their opponent is worthy of the utmost respect."

Abunimah contacted National Public Radio in 1996 to complain that their coverage of the Israeli bombing of Lebanon was not balanced. He was then asked to contribute commentary on the United States bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan. Since that time Abunimah has appeared as a guest on many radio and television news programs, particularly National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System. Abunimah is the founder, publisher, and editor of two Web sites that provide coverage of the Middle East.

A contributor to books by others, Abunimah published his debut One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse, in which he argues that the most frequently proposed plan to establish a Palestinian state is not the ideal, but rather that the region should be united as one state. He is not the first to offer this approach, but as Brendan Driscoll noted in Booklist, Abunimah's approach "is fresh, energetic." Abunimah suggests that both sides not forget, but rather put aside, the past in order to reach a peaceful union. Middle East contributor Remi Kanazi wrote: "One Country is an inspiring message of hope and reconciliation, and presents an intricate and well- crafted path for two peoples that deserve not only reconciliation, but also a prosperous future."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2007, Brendan Driscoll, review of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse, p. 43.

Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2006, review of One Country, p. 1051.

Middle East, January 18, 2007, Remi Kanazi, review of One Country.

Middle East Policy, winter, 2006, Clayton E. Swisher, review of One Country, p. 174.

Tikkun, May-June, 2006, "Electronic Intifada: Pushing the Envelope with Ali Abunimah; a Tikkun Interview," p. 51.

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January, 2001, "At Princeton, Activist Ali Abunimah Critiques U.S. Media Coverage of Al-Aqsa Intifada," p. 63.

ONLINE

Ali Abunimah Home Page,http://www.abunimah.org (May 2, 2007).

Electronic Intifada,http://electronicintifada.net/ (May 2, 2007).

Electronic Iraq,http://electroniciraq.net/ (May 2, 2007).

Institute for Middle East Understanding,http://imeu.net/ (November 9, 2006), "Ali Abunimah: Proposing Bold Solutions."

Madison Times Online,http://www.themadisontimes.com/ (May 2, 2007), A. David Dahmer, "Interview with Ali Abunimah: Author Points to a Different Plan for Mid East Peace."