Edward Said dies in New York It is with regret that we report the death of Edward Said in New York. Born in Jerusalem, Edward Said was a man who many came to see as one of the few who maintained a clear and unambiguous stand on the situation in Palestine based upon factual statements. Because he spoke the truth, in an effort to explain as well as identify solutions, he stood like a beacon shining through the fabricated darkness of the corruption and violence of the "Middle East". Being so direct and open, he stood as a good man and someone of substance. And being such a man he was shunned by many lesser men who held the reigns of power. Unfortunately, the administrations in the USA, Israel and, indeed, Palestine, failed to seek his counsel. There is no doubt that this resulted in a great loss for the people of region. Therefore, too, the world lost much as a result. But his being excluded in this way was not seen as a negative reflection on Edward Said, but rather a statement of the devious nature and ill-defined interests of administrations and their leaders, so-called, on all sides. He had been fighting leukaemia since 1992. Edward Said was born in 1936, but his family had to leave Jerusalem, when he was a school boy, because of the worsening violence. He was educated in Cairo and later gained a BA from Princeton University and an MA and Ph.D. from Harvard University. He was the professor for English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University for many years. He also taught at Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Yale universities. He was known as a stern critic of the Oslo peace process begun in 1993, arguing that it sold short the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. Indeed, it is understood that he fell out with Yassar Arafat on this specific issue. He also opposed the Oslo formula of carving a Palestinian entity out of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, arguing instead for the creation of one state, in which Arabs and Jews would have equal rights. He was effective in keeping alive the recognition of the reality that the people of Palestine, the Palestinians, have been and continue to be, subjected to a sustained policy of "dispossession" by all involved in the ongoing Middle Eastern crisis.