Ghada Karmi is a research fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, England, and vice-chair of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding. She was born in Jerusalem, but left with her family in 1948. She was brought up in Britain, and gained a doctorate in the history of Arabic medicine from London University. Her most recent book is the memoir In Search of Fatima: a Palestinian story (Verso, 2002).

Recent articles

For generations of Palestinians, the longing to return to lands and settlements lost in the catastrophe of 1948 is both at the core of their being, and the only route to justice for their people. But is such an aspiration either realistic or compatible with the creation of an enduring peace with Israel? Ghada Karmi, who has spent a lifetime in exile, defines the crucial choice.

President Bush has rallied his troops for what he calls “The first war of the 21st century”. What is your view of this crisis, where, briefly, do you stand? This is the question we are putting to people around the world, especially those with their own public reputation and following. Our aim, to help create a truly global debate all can identify with.

See also "Writers, artists and civic leaders on the War: Part II"