Hurtling Toward the Abyss: Interview with Hanan Ashrawi

Hurtling Toward the Abyss: Interview with Hanan Ashrawi
Saturday, November 29 2003 @ 05:46 PM EST


Photo by Musa al-Shaer/Palestine Chronicle
"when I talk about hurtling toward the abyss it doesn't mean that I am very hopeful. But I am confident that no matter how bad things get, there is a determination, a will, a spirit on the part of the Palestinian people, and counterparts throughout the world, who believe in justice, in a just peace, who haven't given up, who haven't surrendered to despair.."

Hanan Ashrawi is an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and a former spokeswoman for the PLO. She is the founder and Secretary General of MIFTAH - The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy - and the author of several books, including This Side of Peace: a personal, insider account of the negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords. She has been a member of the Palestinian delegation in peace negotiations in various capacities since the 1991 Madrid Conference.

By JON ELMER


The pro-Israel lobby went on a rabid campaign of defamation and intimidation when you were announced as the winner of the 2003 Sydney Peace Prize. To certain symbolic lengths, they succeeded: Sydney University withdrew the use of the Great Hall for the ceremony, the Lord Mayor of Sydney disassociated the city with the award. The former chair of the Sydney Peace Foundation was quoted as having said to Stuart Rees, the current director: "I have to speak logically. It is either Hanan Ashrawi or the Peace Foundation. That's our choice, Stuart. My distinct impression is that if you persist in having her here, they'll destroy you" . Were you at all surprised by the reaction to your selection?......

http://www.palestinechronicle.com/story.php?sid=20031129174637527