Product Description

From the world-recognized leader of the Palestinians comes an inside view of Arafat and of the secret negotiations and last-minute decisions that led to the Oslo Peace Talks. "A revealing document of a partisan who has helped make Middle East history".--Publishers Weekly.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #778665 in Books
• Published on: 1996-06-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780684823423
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
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From Publishers Weekly
This former PLO spokeswoman gives her perspective on the Israel-Arab peace process.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Ashrawi, a Christian Palestinian woman from a prominent family and a political activist who has been a spokesperson for the Palestinian delegation in the on-going peace talks with Israel, provides a rare insight not only into the diplomacy involved but also into her ethnic community. This autobiographical approach is extremely well characterized. Ashrawi delves into the attitudes of many of the Palestinian political elites, examining their cultural heritage and how it has affected their behavior. Of course, she also provides an intimate detailing of the intricate diplomatic process by which the Palestinian delegation treated its demands dealing with the PLO, several Arab states, and the United States. The reader gets a firm feel for the delicacy of multilateral diplomatic talks and the pressure that can be brought to bear by major and more powerful political bodies on groups with no recognized government. This work is essential to the understanding of the current phase of the Arab-Israeli conflict and is required reading.
-?Sanford R. Silverburg, Catawba Coll., Salisbury, N.C
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Well known in this country as the eloquent Palestinian spokesperson on the nightly news, Ashrawi has written a compelling autobiography that fuses the political and the personal "to reveal in human terms our side of the truth." She mocks the prevailing stereotypes of Palestinian terrorist and veiled woman ("I was not going to jump up and start belly dancing between the salad and the main course, nor was I going to toss a grenade into the dessert"). Raised in a middle-class Christian home, she sees herself as a humanist, a radical, a peace activist, and a Western-educated academic; she also speaks as mother, daughter, wife, and personal friend of Jews as well as Palestinian leaders. Whether she's talking about her insider role in daily negotiations with Baker and Christopher and the U.S. State Department, or about her pain at her own family's internal exile under the Israeli occupation, or about the physician father who raised her to be an independent woman in a male-dominated society, there's no self-righteousness, no talk of "them and "us." Furious at the brutality of military occupation, she's clear also that there's no monopoly of pain, no "upmanship" on suffering among Jews and Palestinians, and she calls for an ongoing self-examination to heal oppressor and oppressed alike. Anyone wanting an informed, reasonable view of what's happening in the Middle East will welcome this account. Running throughout is a sense of what is lost; it didn't have to be this way. Hazel Rochman

Customer Reviews

Amazing
Dr. Ashrawi's account of her childhood experiences and events that are sprinkled throughout the book brought tears to my eyes. Her descriptions of the beautiful Palestinian countryside and land paint vivid images. The narrative is incredibly eloquent and the touching style brings a human element to the sufferings and tragedies of the Palestinian people during the occupation.
Her fact-based accounts of the peace negotiations with the Israeli and American governments are presented with a straight-forward attitude that defy contradiction. This is a book that demands a sequel, especially in light of the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000 and the recent tragic events and conditions suffered by the brave and courageous Palestinian people. It is a book that provides the reader with an insider's experience of history making. It is an invitation by Dr. Ashrawi to walk with her through the corridors of Middle East diplomacy. She is an incredible role model to women everywhere and in the Middle East in particular. She is a well-educated mother, wife, policy maker and creator of history, and above all, the love she has in her heart for her land and countrymen outshines everything else.

Incredible!
An amazing book for anyone, especially eye opening for those who are unfamiliar with the Palestinian struggle. It is a clear picture of the remarkable struggles the Palestinian people have had to endure under occupation. It is incredibly painful to read some of the harsh brutality the Palestinians have had to live through, but extremely accurate. I applaud Hanan's efforts in writing a book that must have dredged up so many painful memories. Highly recommend it!

Excellent Backgrounder
I found this book to be excellent because it provides a good overview the Palestinian-Israeli problem from the point of view of a person living there.

It is disappointing that Ms. Ashrawi does not replace Arafat.