Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Commissioner of Information and Public Policy for the Arab League, PLC Member and Secretary General of MIFTAH, hosted a delegation of the Foreign Press Association (FPA) at MIFTAH on Thursday, September 13th, 2001. Dr. Ashrawi briefed the delegation on various key issues, most prominently, the impact of the terror attack against the United States (US) on the Palestinian people, the Arabs, as well as the Muslim world at large.

Dr. Ashrawi stressed that the Palestinian people, as victims to aggression and terror themselves, clearly identify with the horrific reality the American people are facing, in light of the tragic attack on September 11th, 2001. Contrary to the footage that has been repeatedly shown by the media concerning Palestinians celebrating the terror attack against the US, all Palestinians are shocked and deeply saddened by this senseless act of cowardice. Dr. Ashrawi resented the media for only showing the mentioned footage without giving any coverage of the Palestinians who stood holding candles outside the US consulate in east Jerusalem or the marches Palestinians took part in to show their sorrow at this most tragic event or even the Palestinian leadership's condolences and condemnation of the attack.

Dr. Ashrawi cautioned against Israel's deliberate and cynical attempt of exploiting the terror attack on the US to further escalate its aggression against Palestinians, since world attention has been completely diverted from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She deplored the Israeli government's bid to brand all Palestinians "terrorists" and link them to the terror attack on the US.

Dr. Ashrawi appealed to the American public to remain calm and rational in order to avoid unnecessary harassment of Arabs or Muslims. She warned that such a path of hate and racist vibe would be dangerous and would persecute many ethnical minorities. She expressed her full support in bringing those responsible for the terror attack on the US to justice. She stressed the importance of due process and acting within the limits of American and international law when punishing those responsible.

Commenting on the possibility of a whole nation being found responsible, such as Afghanistan, Dr. Ashrawi hoped that the US would not unleash it military might as that would only further deepen the tragedy. This is not say that she does not support bringing the responsible nation to justice, but she stressed there are more ways then simply carrying out military strike. She added, that if a country was officially found guilty, they should be allowed the chance to rectify their errors, change their policies and provide the necessary cooperation to bring the terrorists to justice. Dr. Ashrawi noted that a full scale military attack would result in a countless loss of innocent lives and urged the American government to remain level-headed.

Dr. Ashrawi remarked that the US should then re-assess its policies, as it is clear that they have caused much resentment problems. She reminded the press that it is the US who created, funded and trained the Taliban to fight Arab nationalism and the spread of communism. She cautioned against the US adopting further policies and repeating the mistakes of the past. However, she reiterated that those who are victimized do not have the right to carry out such a heinous terror attacks and should face up to the legal consequences of their acts.

Dr. Ashrawi said that, as everyone knows, the Middle East is a very complex issue and can only be solved by examining the root of the problem. Peace cannot be achieved by violence, but only through dialogue and the sooner this is realized and Israel is willing to discuss the most pressing issues the sooner peace will be achieved. Dr. Ashrawi informed the delegation of President Arafat's efforts regarding the formation of an Arab coalition to fight terrorism and the meeting that was to take place that evening to coordinate and set out the activities of the coalition.

Finally, Dr. Ashrawi again emphasized the sorrow, grief and shock of all Palestinian at this tragic, senseless and cowardly act of terror against the US. She asserted her belief in the rule of law and said that the terrorists must face the consequences of their action to the full extent of the law.