Language Of War, Language Of Peace: Palestine, Israel And The Search For Justice

Few Palestinians have opened their minds and hearts with such frankness."-New York Times"Shehadeh writes beautifully, his language infused with a lyrical, melancholic sense of loss"-Sunday Telegraph"Shehadeh writes with great clarity and simplicity, ... Read more

Few Palestinians have opened their minds and hearts with such frankness."-New York Times"Shehadeh writes beautifully, his language infused with a lyrical, melancholic sense of loss"-Sunday Telegraph"Shehadeh writes with great clarity and simplicity, but no bitterness about the unhappy history of his family and country."-IndependentWhen conflicts become entrenched over generations, the language of war infiltrates everyday life, concealing destruction and hardening positions. Nowhere is this truer than in the Middle East.Award-winning author Raja Shehadeh explores the politics of language and the language of politics in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reflecting on the walls that they create-legal and cultural-that confine today''s Palestinians just like the borders, checkpoints and so-called "Separation Barrier". He shows how the peace process has been ground to a halt by twists of language and linguistic chicanery that have degraded the word "peace" itself.The situation at the world''s greatest political fault-line has never looked bleaker, but still Shehadeh finds reason to hope and explains why.Raja Shehadehis Palestine''s leading writer. He is also a lawyer and the founder of the pioneering Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq. Shehadeh is the author of several acclaimed books includingStrangers in the HouseandOccupation Diariesand winner of the 2008 Orwell Prize forPalestinian Walks. He lives in Ramallah in Palestine. " Less