Washington Watch Articles From 2017
Defining What It Means to Be Religious
Ever since we learned that eighty percent of self-described "born-again" Christians supported Donald Trump's candidacy for president, there has been a discussion about how these Christians define their faith.
A Christmas Message to Vice-President Mike Pence
As you celebrate Christmas with your family and listen to the gospel story of the birth of Jesus, I hope you will read and reflect on the following piece I wrote a few years back.
The "Trump Effect": Positive Attitudes Toward Arabs and Muslims Are Up; So Is Hate
Are anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiments on the rise in the US? And what are the best ways to combat them? These were some of the questions we discussed at the 2017 "Global Peace and the Fear of Islam" Forum held this past week in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Trump's Jerusalem Decision: A Fatal and Fateful Blow
President Donald Trump's decision to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital was irresponsible and dangerous for more reasons than I can count. Let me outline just a few of the principle concerns:
Arab, Turkish, and Iranian Opinions on Regional Conflicts
Most Arabs have little confidence in the Trump Administration's ability to solve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and many have lost hope that a resolution is even possible.
Palestinians: Victims of an Unjust US Law
Imagine that you are a victim of a violent crime or theft but are forbidden from reporting it because Congress has passed a law that not only prohibits you from reporting the crime, but threatens punishment if you dare to do it.
Roy Moore: Guilty of Abusing Girls and Religion
In the philosophy of language, we learn the simple truth that the meaning of a word is how it's used in a sentence. The same lesson can be applied to religion—with the meaning of religious language best understood by how it is being used.
President Trump Wasn't on the Ballot. Nevertheless, He Lost.
With all due respect to the gubernatorial candidates who won their elections on November 7th, there can be no doubt that their road to victory was paved, in part, by voter's rejection of Donald Trump and Trumpism.
Balfour: the Shame and Dangers of Ignoring Arab Opinion and Rights
In 1919, following the first World War, the victorious Allied Powers met in Paris to remake the world.
Balfour Declaration: A Convergence of Zionist Ambition and the British Imperial Enterprise
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration in which Great Britain's Foreign Secretary, Lord Balfour, stated in a note to his colleague, Lord Rothchild, that "His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object.
This Fight Isn’t Over
Having come through a difficult 2016 primary campaign and a hotly contested 2017 race for party Chair, what Democrats desperately need is to unify their ranks to confront the challenges they will face in the 2018 mid-term elections and beyond.
The Challenge to Restore Sanity
Despite the fact that the stock market is at record highs and the unemployment rate, which began its substantial decline during the Obama Administration, is now at record lows, we spend our days haunted by the gnawing sense that life has spun out of control.
The Transformation of Jerusalem
Last week a group of Likud members and experts presented Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a plan to carve up Arab Jerusalem in somewhat the same way that Hebron was dismembered.
Apartheid in Hebron
Last week Israel announced that the heart of Hebron would henceforth be a separate municipality directly governed by Israel's Civil Administration.
The Importance of Civil Discourse
Last week I became the Chair of The Sanders Institute (TSI), an initiative that grew out of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign of 2016.
The House That Bibi Built
For half of the past two decades Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu has served as Prime Minister of Israel. Whatever his ultimate fate (given the ongoing criminal investigations he is currently facing), it is clear that he has had a profound impact on Israel, the Palestinians, and the entire region.
The DREAMers Deserve Better Than This
In the midst of the many immediate challenges confronting the White House and Congress, President Donald Trump just added one more. This past week, Trump told the Department of Justice to rescind the Obama-era DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Program.
The Strategy Palestinians Need to Develop
Three decades ago, I was invited to address a Palestinian American audience on the work that was needed to change American policy toward Palestinian rights.
Two Weakened Leaders
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have a lot in common. Both are in trouble, confronting problems that are more legal than political. And as commentators, here and in Israel have noted, both have responded to their situation in quite similar ways.
Charlottesville and Beyond: The Never-ending Struggle
The tragic and deeply disturbing events in Charlottesville last week provoked a debate as old as America, itself. Our nation watched as a motley collection of bigots descended on that town, ostensibly to "save" the statues of their Confederate heroes.