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SAN FRANCISCO — Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi condemned Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network Monday, distancing his actions from Palestinian movements for independence. 

“Our message to Osama bin Laden is that our cause is not up for grabs,” said Ashrawi, who is the spokeswoman for the Arab League. “He does not have the right to use it. 

“Ours is a cause that is justified and should not be hijacked by terrorists. It has nothing to do with the Osama bin Ladens or Talibans of this world,” Ashrawi said at an event organized by the Commonwealth Club of California. 

The Arab League issued an official statement yesterday from its gathering in Damascus, Syria, reproaching bin Laden and distinguishing his Al-Qaida organization from the viewpoints of Arabs and Muslims in the Middle East. 

Ashrawi began her speech by extending her condolences to Americans for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. She noted that the much-publicized footage of Palestinians celebrating after the attacks wasn’t representative of the majority. 

“Those who acted that way didn’t understand the full impact of what had happened and perhaps thought that may be the U.S. will now understand the grief and pain of Palestinians,” Ashrawi said during the question-and-answer period following her speech. “But regardless of what they thought, their actions do not encapsulate the Palestinian reality. The footage misrepresents the Palestinian reality. Most Palestinians extended their mournings, as from one bereaved people to another.” 

Ashrawi spoke about the necessity to begin negotiations between Palestinians and the Israeli government to bring about peace in the region. She was critical of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel’s actions in the Camp David negotiations and the United States’ foreign policy record in the Middle East. 

Leah Simon-Weisberg, a spokeswoman for a Jewish Voice for Peace, which had representatives present at the event, said her organization agreed with Ashrawi’s opinions on the asymmetry of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. 

“The occupied and occupiers are not on an equal plane,” Simon-Weisberg said. “There are alternatives that work and still nothing comes up — towns are full of the military, people’s family members are injured, and there’s a constant humiliation and indignity the people have to face.” 

Ashrawi said that Islamic militant groups in Palestine don’t represent most Palestinians’ views. 

“We won’t be made subject to either a corrupt regime or Islamic fundamentalism,” she said. “There is a democratic majority and it needs to be given a voice.” 

But Ashrawi also said she didn’t consider Hamas or other jihad Palestinian organizations to be terrorist groups. 

“I do not agree with the military wings of those organizations, but I will engage with their political wings,” she said. 

. “I don’t see why we shouldn’t have political pluralism. I think people often pull out the convenient label of terrorism and label groups as terrorists.” 

Ashrawi also addressed fears about terrorism, especially for people of the San Francisco Bay area who may be anxious about threats to local bridges. 

“When you live with fear, insecurity and a sense of vulnerability, you have to develop defense mechanisms,” Ashrawi said. “I know how afraid Californians are about their bridges, and there is a fear of the unknown. That fear can be debilitating. But remember, the hardest thing for every terrorist to do is to break the spirit of their victims.”