Michael Jansen The author, a well-respected observer of Middle East affairs, has three books on the Arab-Israeli conflict. The author, a well-respected observer of Middle East affairs, has three books on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
18 Dec 2020 Hanan Ashrawi. Without fanfare Palestine’s most high profile female politician, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi resigned from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s Executive Committee on the grounds that it was out of the decision-making loop. She protested in particular two actions taken without consultation by President Mahmoud Abbas.
The first was the May 20 decision taken unilaterally by Abbas to end security coordination and cooperation on other issues with Israel and his declaration that Israel, as occupying power, would have to assume responsibility for the Palestinian civilian population. He adopted this course of action following Israel’s announcement of its pl
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, who was the sole remaining woman on the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee. She had been for many years the face of Palestinian public diplomacy, and more quietly, a leading dissident in favor of national unity, transparency, freedom of discussion and democracy among Palestinians. Just as young Israelis are taking to the streets to demand an end to the Netanyahu era, so, too, there is agitation for new, more inclusive, less corrupt and authoritarian leadership among the Palestinians. Photo from Dr. Ashrawi’s Twitter feed.
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Last week, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, an iconic Palestinian scholar, activist and feminist, and a decades-long fixture in Palestinian politics, resigned from the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee. The resignation of Dr. Ashrawi, the only woman on the committee, was accepted by PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Read: Statement by @DrHananAshrawi regarding her resignation from the PLO Executive Committee and translation of her letter of resignation. pic.twitter.com/B4GvuQZkA9 PLO Department of Public Diplomacy & Policy (@PalestinePDP) December 9, 2020
Ashrawi’s resignation is gravely concerning at a time when the Palestinian struggle suffers severely from an absence of unifying and influential leadership. Ashrawi was a strong and outspoken critic of the occupation, but she was also a staunch opponent of the Palestinian Authority’s authoritarian policing practices, and was known among among Palestinians as one of the few decent members of the PLO’s leadership.
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi’s call to reform Palestinian politics is already being met by the next generation of vibrant Palestinian leaders, but they are far outside the system Ashrawi is looking to revive.