(1946- ) A Palestinian politician, professor and spokeswoman. In 1973, she established the English Department at Bir Zeit University and still occasionally teaches there. In regards to her political career, Ashrawi was a member of the Palestinian negotiation team at the 1991 Madrid Conference and during the Oslo Process. She has served on the Palestinian Legislative Council several times and in 2005, switched party membership from Fatah to the Palestinian National Initiative (Mubadara). In addition to serving on the boards of several international organizations, she also heads Miftah, the Palestinian Initiative for the promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy. See “Hanan Ashrawi.” Jewish Virtual Library. 18 July 2011. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/ashrawi.html. http://www.justvision.org/glossary/ashrawi-hanan