Schooled in America, Seething in the West Bank

NUHA KHOURI'S hands dance as she speaks, slice the air when she is angry, twirl when she is exasperated, form boxes as she tries to explain a concept and gently come together on her lap when she concludes.

At the sound of an Israeli armored vehicle rumbling past her house, she shrinks, at first, and then seethes.

"Nobody has the right to decide if I can come out of my house," she said. "Not some young man sitting in a tank who, if he changes the angle, can destroy my house."

At 36, Ms. Khouri may be one of the United States' best hopes for a durable peace in the Israeli-Palestinian struggle.

She lived in the United States for 15 years, received four degrees from the University of Michigan and returned here voluntarily after the signing of the Oslo accord to build a nation. She represents the thousands of Palestinians who studied or worked abroad and returned here at the prospect of peace. It was hoped that they would serve as an influential, moderating force, but the recent Israeli offensive has undermined them in the eyes of other Palestinians and tested their own beliefs.