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Occupation and Terrorism: Conversation with Amira Hass, Columnist, Haaretz; October 24, 2003, by Harry Kreisler

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Amira Hass, who is a correspondent for Ha'aretz, the Israeli newspaper. Her publications include Drinking the Sea at Gaza and a collection of articles entitled Reporting From Ramallah: An Israel Journalist in Occupied Land. She is a recipient of numerous human rights and journalism awards including the Bruno Kreisky Human Rights Award; and in 2003, the UNESCO Press Freedom Award.

  1. Background ... parents were Holocaust survivors ... mother was a writer ... education ... civil rights work in Gaza
  2. Writing ... living in Palestinian society ... observer ... Romania under Ceausescu ... history made in ordinary lives ... relation of theory to facts ... like describing a movie ... no deadline constraint
  3. Israeli Occupation ... settlements ... Apartheid-like pass system ... Oslo accords narrowly limit Palestinian future state ... going to school through a security fence ... access always uncertain ... intensified bureaucracy and control ... Gaza ... control in the name of security ... robbery of time ... evolution of policy since 1991
  4. Suicide Bombers ... earliest instances ... power struggle among Palestinian factions ... not primarily religious motivation ... community motivation ... strength from religion
  5. Leaders and Motives ... Israeli leadership: failure or success? ... failure of Israeli pro-peace constituencies ... naïveté of Palestinian leadership ... pampered by Israeli privileges ... Palestinian class society ... failure to help the people
  6. Conclusion ... role of the writer ... read beyond the headlines

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