Michael Tarazi is a Palestinian-American lawyer and former adviser to the

Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establishing Arab unity and st ...

. Since 2008, Tarazi has worked for the government and policy team of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), an organization that promotes

microfinance Microfinance is a category of financial services targeting individuals and small businesses who lack access to conventional banking and related services. Microfinance includes microcredit, the provision of small loans to poor clients; savings ...

Biography

Tarazi was born in Kuwait City, Kuwait to

Palestinian Christian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

parents. He grew up in Boulder, Colo., and attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He earned his bachelor's degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

and his law degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class i ...

. He spent most of his professional career as a corporate lawyer living in New York City, Helsinki, Paris, Istanbul and Budapest before his time at the PLO.

Career

Tarazi moved to Ramallah in 2000 to work as a spokesman and legal adviser for the PLO's negotiating team. As a fluent English-speaker, he was quoted extensively in the media, including CNN, NBC, ABC and the BBC. He also toured the United States speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On June 7, 2002, Tarazi was described in a front-page feature article of the Wall Street Journal as "the most articulate and sophisticated Palestinian advocate to come along in years."

Personal

Tarazi has performed as a stand-up comic in the New York Arab American Comedy Festival, where his biography describes him as "a single, Arab American." He speaks English, Arabic and French.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarazi, Michael American lawyers American people of Palestinian descent Palestinian human rights activists Living people Harvard Law School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Harvard College alumni