Washington Watch Articles From 2000
SUPPORT FOR LEBANON
There is a determined effort underway to garner US. Support for Lebanon in the aftermath of Israel’s withdrawal from the south of Lebanon.
CONVENTIONS THEN AND NOW
This is the month of the Republican and Democratic parties’ national political conventions. There was a time in American history when these two events were seen as momentous and dramatic spectacles.
AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIANS GROWS
American voters are more strongly inclined to support a wide range of Palestinian rights than at any time in history.
AN INCOMPLETE PEACE
If any agreement is to come out of the current negotiations taking place at Camp David, it will, in all certainty, be an incomplete resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
CLINTON’S GAMBLE
U.S. President Bill Clinton’s call for a Palestinian-Israeli summit occurs against the backdrop of a Palestinian vote to declare an independent state by year’s end and amidst reports of a proposed Israeli troop buildup in the West Bank and the near collapse of Israeli Prime Minster Barak’s coalition government.
MY MESSAGE TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Later this week I will testify before the Democratic Party platform hearings. Some of the issues I will discuss will be similar to those I have raised in the past.
KING MUHAMMAD VI’s U.S. STATE VISIT
His Majesty King Muhammad VI took Washington by storm last week. The Clinton Administration gave the young Moroccan monarch an extraordinary reception.
CLINTON PAYS TRIBUTE TO ARAB AMERICANS
President Clinton made a surprise appearance before the Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF) annual awards dinner last week, and spoke eloquently of his relationship with the Arab American community and of the vision he shares with us of a more tolerant and humane society.
THE NEXT FIVE MONTHS
Summer is fast approaching, but for many of us that doesn’t mean vacation. Rather it means the heating up of the political season.
A MODEST AGENDA FOR LEBANON IN AMERICA
With Israel’s withdrawal from the south of Lebanon, new challenges now emerge which must be addressed by Lebanon and its friends. Of particular concern to me, are the issues that must be tackled in the United States.
CANDIDATES SPEAK AT AIPAC
Against the backdrop of dramatic developments unfolding in Lebanon and the West Bank, the two major U.S. presidential candidates appeared before the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
NEW YORK: STILL THE MOTHER OF ALL SENATE RACES
With the 2000 presidential race on low simmer, media attention has focused on a few hotly contested Senate elections with New York, New Jersey and Michigan leading the pack.
ATTACKS ON ARAB AMERICANS CONTINUE
I was recently sent a copy of a fundraising letter issued by an extreme right-wing Jewish organization. The letter’s appeal was based on a slanderous attack against a number of young Arab American leaders.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT FAILS
Last week the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom issued its first annual report detailing concerns with what it termed “threats.
THE EXPLOITATION OF ELIAN
For several months now Elian Gonzales, the six-year-old Cuban boy rescued off the coast of Florida, has been the all-consuming object of both media and political attention.
ABRAHAM UNDER ATTACK
Michigan's Republican Senator Spencer Abraham, the only Arab American in the U.S. Senate, is fighting for his political life. First elected in 1994, Abraham's reelection bid this November is being hotly contested and closely watched.
UNDERSTANDING ARAB AMERICANS II: TOWARD AN ARAB AMERICAN AGENDA
There is no single Arab American view on issues. Arab Americans are not a political party with litmus tests and requirements for membership. Arab Americans are a community that is still in the process of being formed out of many diverse parts.
GORE AND THE ELIAN CASE
Recently, Vice President Al Gore took dramatic stands on two issues: campaign finance reform and the custody battle over Elian Gonzalez, the five-year-old Cuban boy who was shipwrecked and then rescued off the coast of Florida in November 1999.
Understanding Arab Americans, Part 1
In the past 30 years, since beginning the enterprise of building Arab American institutions, we have neither asked nor systematically sought to provide answers to these questions.
THE PARTISAN OIL WARS
OPEC may very well decide to increase oil production at its March 27 meeting, but it will be months before the political repercussions of increased gas prices die down.