Former Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi to speak at Baker Institute

Hanan Ashrawi, the Diana Tamari Sabbagh Fellow in Middle Eastern Studies at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, will present “The Case for Democracy in the Palestinian National Narrative” Sept. 22. The lecture will begin at 6 p.m. in Baker Hall’s Kelly International Conference Facility.

	HANAN ASHRAWI

Ashrawi served as the official spokeswoman for the Palestinian delegation to the Middle East peace process during the Madrid peace conference in 1991. In 1996, Ashrawi was appointed the Palestinian Authority minister of higher education and research. She resigned the post in 1998 to protest the political mishandlings of peace talks during that period.

In 2006, Ashrawi was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council on the ”Third Way” bloc ticket. She founded and serves on the executive committees of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy and the National Coalition for Accountability and Integrity. She also founded and is commissioner of the Independent Commission for Human Rights.
 
In August, Ashrawi was elected to the Executive Committee of the PLO, which is headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Rice faculty, staff and students who want to attend can RSVP by e-mail (bipprsvp@rice.edu) or by fax (713-348-5993).