Born on October 8, 1946 (Nablus, Palestine)

Political activist
Author
Educator

Hanan Ashrawi is one of the most important and respected female figures in the Middle East today. The Palestinian professor of English shot to international fame in the late 1980s after she eloquently defended the rights of the Palestinian people. She has spread her message around the world and put the Palestinian cause on the map, and has been a prominent spokeswoman for the Palestinian delegation during peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis. She has chaired a group focusing on the violation of human rights in the Occupied Territories. This is the name Palestinians have given to territories under the political and military control of Israel though they contain Palestinian majority populations. Those include especially the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Ashrawi is the author of several books on the Middle...