Re: from the village voice (npc)

["Michael C. Berch" <mcb>]

On Monday, June 24, 2002, at 11:15  AM, Dlofdahl wrote:
> In a message dated Sun, 23 Jun 2002 10:39:49 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
> anthony_r writes:
>
>> True, but there are articulate Palestinians out there; there's a woman 
>> whom I've
>> seen on TV alot who I wish had Arafat's title, she'd make a better 
>> leader for the
>> Palestinians in that she's capable of speaking
>> intelligently and with compassion
>> and sincerity (just the opposite of Arafat).
>
> i know the woman you mean. she is a politician but i cant remember her 
> office.

Do you mean Hannan Ashrawi?   Definitely one of the more moderate, 
reasonable
Palestinian leaders, but I haven't seen/heard her in the media in a 
couple of years.
Perhaps she's been "purged" by the hardliners.

>  part of arafat's problem is that his english is so poor.  he should 
> always use a translator when speaking to the american press.   this is 
> just another factor in the palestinian's disasterous public relations 
> effort.  edward said writes about this at length.

I don't believe Arafat's English is poor at all.  I think it's an act.  
One of the problems is that he'll say one thing to a Western audience in 
English, or translated on the spot to English, which seems very moderate 
and pro-peace, and then will issue statements either personally through 
his office in Arabic, to the Palestinians (and sometimes other Arab 
leaders), which will be militant and war-like.  He's been caught out on 
that several times by Arabic-speaking journalists and analysts working 
in the West.

--
Michael C. Berch
mcb