Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh is reading between the lines

In advance of his visit to Ireland, Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh tells Ellie O’Byrne why he still has hope for his homeland

"CULTURE is part of the struggle; it’s very important not to suspend culture and suspend one’s life, because it’s also part of the resistance.”

Raja Shehadeh, writer and human rights lawyer, is speaking from his home in Ramallah in the West Bank in advance of his trip to Ireland. The weather is, he says, wonderful, and a five-day international contemporary dance festival has been afoot. At the same time, 1,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli gaols continue with their hunger strike, and mass protests have been taking place in their support.