Ashrawi, Hanan (1946—)

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Ashrawi, Hanan (1946—)

Palestinian political leader. Name variations: Hanan Mikhail-Ashrawi. Born Hanan Mikhail in Ramallah,about six miles north of Jerusalem (which became the Israeli-occupied West Bank) in 1946; youngest of five daughters of Daoud (a doctor) and Wad'ia Mikhail; attended the American University in Beirut, Lebanon, M.A. in literature (1960s); married Emile Ashrawi (a photographer, filmmaker, and artist); children: two daughters, Amal and Zeina.

Active in the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS); only woman from Lebanon on the GUPS delegation at an international conference in Amman, Jordan (1969); joined the teaching staff of Bir Zeit University in the West Bank (1973); received a doctorate in English literature at University of Virginia (1981); rejoined the faculty at Bir Zeit as a professor of English, and became dean of the Faculty of Arts; quit her Palestinian Cabinet post as minister of Higher Education in protest over lack of accountability in the Palastinian government (1998).

With her frequent appearances on American television news shows, some believe that Hanan Ashrawi has done more "to change the image of the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, than any war, uprising, or terrorist attack," writes Barbara Victor . Ashrawi's conciliatory manner has served well in breaching the wall between Palestinians and Israelis in the peace talks. "We wish to address the Israeli people, with whom we have a prolonged exchange of pain," she said. "Let us share hope instead."

Hanan Ashrawi was born in 1946 into a Christian-Muslim household in Ramallah, then a town under British mandate (which became the Israeli-occupied West Bank). Her father, who had been a physician in the Palestinian army, was a prominent politician who defied traditional Muslim precepts by viewing his five daughters as a gift not a curse; he encouraged them to fight for their beliefs.

Though Ashrawi met Yasir Arafat, leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) at a 1969 international conference in Amman, Jordan, her radicalization and open support of the PLO did not come about until Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and the massacre of Palestinians in Beirut during raids on Sabra and Chatila refugee camps. "I said to myself, 'This has got to stop,'" remarked Ashrawi. "Palestinians must not be an easy prey to everybody." Since then, she has sought self-determination for her people, espousing pragmatic approaches with calm and projecting an apparent willingness to reason, while continuing to appear on Western evening news shows. She is known in some circles as the "Nightline Palestinian."

In her book This Side of Peace, Ashrawi offers a personal account of the negotiations leading up to the signing of the accord by Israel's Yitzak Rabin and PLO leader Arafat on the White House lawn—an accord that she did not agree with and which brought on her resignation from the PLO. Though she says she is committed to peace, Ashrawi is determined to hang tough on the Arab claim to Jerusalem. She heads the Commission for Citizens' Rights, which serves as defender and monitor of the nascent government. "The challenges of building a nation are probably more difficult than facing an 'external enemy,'" she has said. "I don't think we'll fail, but it will cost."