Washington Watch Articles From 2019
It's Israeli Policy, Stupid
Much to the consternation of Western liberals, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu to take the first crack at assembling a new government.
The Only Way Israelis Can Form a Government: Betrayal
As expected, the outcome of Israel's second national election was as murky as the first round in April. During the next few weeks, Israeli leaders will be engaged negotiations in an effort to form a government.
A Message to the Arab Americans of Dallas, TX
Last weekend, I traveled to Dallas to speak at the Arab Texas Festival. It was a remarkable event that both filled me with pride at our progress and left me inspired.
Addressing Those Who Have Been Fooled
It was more than a century and a half ago that Abraham Lincoln told us, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time." While the wisdom behind these words is clear, what has long confounded me is, quite simply, "why can some folks be fooled all the time?"
Democratic Voters Have Known for Some Time What Some Liberals Are Just Now Coming to Terms With: Israel is an Occupier
There has been a chorus of liberal lamentations over the flap created by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to deny two US Congresswomen, Rashida Tlaib (MI-D) and Ilhan Omar (MN-D), the right to visit occupied Palestinian lands.
He Threatened Us, Now He Goes to Jail
Back in May, a jury found Patrick Syring, a former State Department official, guilty of 14 counts of making threats against my life and my staff at the Arab American Institute.
We Have a Problem: Guns
Once again, mass shootings are in the US headlines. And in the aftermath of yet another massacre of innocents, we are in the throes of what has become patterned ritual behavior.
Made for TV Presidential Debates: Forgettable Candidates and Irritating Format
I've just returned from Detroit, Michigan, where I attended the second set of Democratic Party presidential primary debates. For many reasons, the debates were a frustrating experience.
The "Faustian Deal"
While much has been already been written about President Donald Trump recent racist taunts against four first-term women Members of Congress, I have a few observations of my own to make.
Two Congressional Resolutions That Won’t Advance Israeli-Palestinian Peace
In the coming week, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs will move on four bills – all of which, I believe, drive more nails in the coffin of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Our Fractured Nation “Celebrates” the Fourth of July
I'm writing from my home in Washington, DC, on the evening of the Fourth of July, deeply troubled by the display that has just unfolded a few miles away on our National Mall.
What If Palestinians “Take the Money and Run?”
I wasn't at the "Peace to Prosperity" Summit, but I listened to some of the speeches and read the documents the White House produced, and nothing I saw changed my belief that the entire affair was long on fantasy, short on reality.
Most Democratic Candidates Still Afraid to Criticize Israel's Violations of Palestinian Rights
The attitudes of Democratic voters toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have become decidedly more balanced in the past two decades. Favorable attitudes toward Palestinians are up while attitudes toward Israel appear to be in decline.
The Idea of America is at Risk
I have long argued that the American identity was fundamentally different than that of most other countries in the world. While the identity of most nations has been ethnic-based, being American represented an inclusive idea that transcended ethnicity.
The Continuing Struggle for Palestinian Rights Among California Democrats
It was back in the mid-1980's that Jack O'Dell, a long-time advisor first to Martin Luther King Jr. and then to Jesse Jackson, taught me a lesson I never forgot.
Why the US “Workshop” For Palestinians Will Fail
Twenty-five years ago, I moderated the panel discussion on the Palestinian economy at the international economic summit in Casablanca, Morocco.
Irish Affinity for Palestinians Runs Deep
It is always gratifying to see the strength of Irish solidarity with the people of Palestine. This was brought home again last week during a visit to Ireland.
US Complicity in Israel’s Violations of International Law
Last week I addressed a United Nations Security Council meeting on "Israeli Settlements.
Justice Prevailed
On May 9th, 2019, a jury in US District Court for Washington, DC found a former US diplomat guilty on 14 counts of threatening me and other employees of the Arab American Institute "because of [our] race and ethnicity" and "because of [our] efforts to encourage Arab Americans to participate in the political life in the United States.
Playing 20 Questions to Figure Out the "Deal of the Century"
I believe that it was Henry Kissinger who described his approach to running Arab-Israeli negotiations as creating the illusion of momentum to compensate for the lack of momentum.