| Submit your comments on this article |
| Middle East |
| Sydney Prize |
| 2003-11-06 |
| Hat tip LGF Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi said that attacks on her in Australia were worse than any she had received from Israelis, as she received Australia’s main peace prize from the city of Sydney. Ashrawi, a veteran campaigner for Palestinian statehood and member of the elected Palestinian parliament, received the 50,000 dollar (34,500 US dollar) Sydney Peace Prize at a gala ceremony here. But her choice as recipient of the prize, awarded annually by Australia’s largest metropolis, was so controversial that Sydney Mayor Lucy Turnbull boycotted the event. Hours before the ceremony, Australian Prime Minister John Howard fueled the controversy by joining those who claimed Ashrawi did not deserve the prize because of her alleged failure to unconditionally condemn militant attacks that killed Israeli civilians. Howard said former Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, would have been a better choice for the award for his efforts to curb the influence of Palestinian Authority president A vocal segment of Australia’s Jewish community lobbied furiously against the award, saying Ashrawi effectively encouraged terrorism by equating Israeli military actions against the occupied Palestinian territories to Palestinian suicide attacks on Israel. But the Sydney Peace Foundation, a non-profit organization attached to the University of Sydney and funded in part by the local government, defended its choice. New South Wales state Premier Bob Carr, one of Australia’s most high profile politicians, rejected calls that he boycott the award ceremony and described Ashrawi Thursday as "a defender of the fundamental rights of every human being." "Here is a woman who talks the language of peace," Carr said as he awarded Ashrawi the prize. She talks the talk sometimes. Sometimnes not. Does she walk the walk, though? Evidently not. Ashrawi, a scholar and longtime spokeswoman for the Palestinian cause who has also been a fierce critic of corruption in the Palestinian Authority under Arafat, expressed astonishment at the level of vitriol her presence here evoked. "I was amazed at the degree of, not just negative response, but a certain degree of hatred, which I don’t find even with my discussion with Israelis," she said. "I have never seen such a mobilisation for hate language and rejection as I saw in a very, very, small minority. I felt that the further away people are from the situation and the conflict the more license they give themselves to distort and to interfere negatively. I don’t know why feelings are so high here." While her critics claimed Ashrawi continues to harbor the goal of destroying Israel so that Palestinians could recover all the lands they held prior to the creation of the Jewish state, she insisted in her acceptance speech Thursday that the only solution was Israeli and Palestinian states living side-by-side. "There can be no legitimacy for Israel without the Palestinians and there can be no legitimate Palestinian state without sharing the land of Palestine and recognising the legitimacy of the state of Israel," she said. Around 200 guests attended the awards dinner while a small number of pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists demonstrated peacefully outside. Carr acknowledged the difficult reception Ashrawi had received. "Dr Ashrawi, we are all of us uncomfortably aware tonight that for you, these things are not an academic argument. They are the life you have lived every day," he said. |
| Posted by:Atrus |
| #3 "Here is a woman who talks the language of peace," Carr said as he awarded Ashrawi the prize. Actually, if one listens closely to any of her interviews, she can be heard to be speaking Arafartese. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-11-6 2:26:40 PM |
| #2 ...said that attacks on her in Australia were worse than any she had received from Israelis, I thought Tim Blair was Stateside this week? |
| Posted by: Raj 2003-11-6 1:40:35 PM |
| #1 These Peace Prizes are some of the only awards that I know of that are awarded when the goal has not been achieved. I guess its simular to how they give out plenty of extra prizes and hugs at the Special Olympics. Why don't we save the peace awards for the Palestinian Conflict until after the meat stops flying. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-11-6 1:08:31 PM |