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Attack on Hanan Ashrawi unfair

Daoud Kuttab responds to Shlomi Eldar’s criticism of the PLO Executive Committee member, urging the Israeli columnist to address the occupation instead of attacking a Palestinian figure defending the rights of her people.
Prominent Palestinian human rights advocate hanan Ashrawi is protected by a Palestinians who tries to keep Israeli riot police from pushing her during scuffles which broke out May 27 at the Ras Al-Amud settlement complex under construction in Arab East Jerusalem. Israeli police say they had to use force to prevent the Palestinian demonstrators from pushing their way into the construction site during a demonstration against the continuing building restarted after months of suspension.

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A man was once labeled a terrorist and held in a South African prison. He and his people appealed to the world for an end to the apartheid regime ruling his country, but the world’s governments failed to respond. They appealed to the world's citizenry and to private companies, asking them to divest from South Africa, and to people of concence, asking that they boycott the racist regime.

The life of this extraordinary man, Nelson Mandela, was honored during a weeklong celebration leading up to his funeral. Among those praising him were Israeli leaders, including President Shimon Peres, who were intimate supporters of Mandela's jailers and his people's oppressors. South Africans became free when people took action against the racist regime and put enough pressure on it to force it to change course. 

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