Hanan Ashrawi, Major Voice in Middle East Peace Process, To Speak At Smith College

Hanan Ashrawi, internationally recognized spokesperson for the Palestinian cause and a key player in launching the Middle East peace process, will discuss "The Second Intifada: Causes and Consequences" at Smith College.

Ashrawi's presentation, with an introduction by Smith College President Ruth Simmons, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, in Wright Hall Auditorium. The event is free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible.

A member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Palestinian Authority, Ashrawi was one of five women elected to the 88-member Palestinian governing organization in 1996. The spokesperson for the official Palestinian delegation at the Madrid peace negotiations from 1991 to 1993, she is known for her articulate, moderate and pragmatic views on the Middle East conflict and continues to be sought for comment by media in the U.S. and abroad.

Ashrawi has been active in political causes since her teen-age years. Her extensive activism in the area of human rights and women's rights includes serving as founder and first commissioner general of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's Rights. She is currently the founder and secretary general of The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH), a Jerusalem-based organization supporting Palestinian nation-building and international reconciliation.

Ashrawi was educated at the University of Beirut and received a Ph.D. in medieval and comparative literature from the University of Virginia. She is the recipient of awards and honorary degrees from dozens of institutions, including Beloit, Earlham and Smith colleges, Cornell, Harvard and George Mason universities and the University of Virginia.

Her visit to Smith is sponsored by the college's Lecture and Middle East Studies committees and organized by the Middle East Peace Coalition of Western Massachusetts.

Contact: Marti Hobbes, mhobbes@smith.edu

January 30, 2001