Will US Middle East Policy Change?
The Middle East conflict and this year’s US presidential election are impacting one another in important ways.
Disinformation Campaigns Aimed at Arab Americans and American Jews in Battleground States
In the run-up to the November election, we are witnessing a massive expenditure of “dark money” in a disinformation campaign designed to depress the Arab American vote in Michigan and the American Jewish vote in Pennsylvania.
Don’t Call Wars in Lebanon and Gaza an ‘Opportunity:’ They’re a Tragedy.
It’s galling to hear policymakers in the US, Israel, and elsewhere suggest that the devastating blows Israel has dealt to Hezbollah and Lebanon have created “an opportunity to put Lebanon on a better path.”
History Didn’t Begin or End on October 7th
On October 7th, the continuing genocide in Gaza and the massive bombings in Lebanon will likely be ignored by US officials and media outlets as they solemnly commemorate the anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel. What they’ll ignore is that the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict didn’t begin on October 7th, nor did the suffering end on that day.
Gaza Is Shaping This Election for Arab American Voters
For Arab Americans, Israel’s war on Palestinians in Gaza looms large and will play a significant role in this November’s election. This is one of the key observations emerging from a mid-September nationwide poll of 500 Arab American registered voters conducted by John Zogby Strategies for the Arab American Institute.
Senate Hearing Showcases Hate
Our politics and system of governance is in crisis. This was made clear this past week before and during the US Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on hate crimes in America.
University’s Act to Silence Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators
In the 1960s, social critic Paul Goodman offered a parable to describe what had gone wrong with American higher education.
Harris Can Contribute to Israeli-Palestinian Peace and Grow Her Lead
If Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for US president, were to take a decisive stance demanding that Israel agree to an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded aid to Palestinians, she would expand her vote lead over her Republican opponent, Donald Trump.
A Way Forward Out of the Mess We’re In
The headlines emanating from Palestine-Israel, though ominous, should have been expected. The problem, of course, is that the Israeli government appears intent on making a desperately bad situation worse, and the administration of US President Joe Biden is acting as if doing what it’s been doing for the past three-and-a-half years is something other than pouring petrol on a raging fire.
Palestine Won at the Democratic Convention
The 2024 Democratic National Convention was an exhausting roller coaster ride for Arab Americans and supporters of Palestinian rights. It was a messy affair, with highs and lows, some small victories and some setbacks. But on balance, the naysayers are wrong, because Palestine and supporters of Palestinian rights were big winners during the four days in Chicago.
Because Democrats Won’t Discuss Palestinian Rights in Chicago, We Will.
Democrats are approaching their 2024 convention aware of the many critical issues at stake in this election. There is deep concern with what a second Trump administration would mean for women’s rights, civil rights, environmental protections, immigration policy, civil discourse, and the very foundation of our democratic order. All of these issues and more are discussed at length in the 2024 Democratic Party Platform and will be addressed by an assortment of speakers at the convention.
A Deep Dive into the Bowman Loss
Last week, New York Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman was defeated in his bid for a third term in Congress. In describing the outcome, newspaper headlines and media analysts only scratched the surface of why and how this happened and the consequences this contest would have on future elections.
The Peace Plan: Confusion or Deception?
After eight months of the Biden administration’s frustrating moves toward Israel’s war on Gaza, in recent weeks they unveiled the most confounding move of all.
When Displays of Strength Mask Weakness
The brilliant Palestinian Fayez Sayegh once wrote that when pro-Israel groups appeared to be at their strongest, they were only masking the fact that they were at their weakest. This is clear in the contrast of Israel’s sharp decline in standing among many demographic groups of American voters and the actions and statements by Congress and pro-Israel groups, particularly in evidence during the past week.
Do They Have Any Idea Where They’re Going?
One Sunday afternoon, my father-in-law was on the Long Island Expressway driving the family to an event. With surprisingly little traffic on what would ordinarily be a congested highway, they were cruising along at a good speed.
Protecting Our Arab American Identity
It took over a half century to strengthen the Arab American identity and build organizations to meet community needs. Today this work is under assault by those who seek to erase our gains, fracture the community along sectarian lines, or silence our voices in US politics.
Even When It Seems Hopeless, We Must Never Quit
Two seemingly unrelated events of the last week have caused me to reflect on the long journey we’ve taken to Arab American empowerment. The first was the March 27th death of former Senator Joseph Lieberman. This was followed by the 28th anniversary of the tragic death of former Secretary of Commerce, Ronald Brown on April 3rd.
Ukraine and Gaza Threaten US Leadership and Politics
This era’s wars in Ukraine and Gaza are having a more dramatic impact both on global alignments and US politics than the wars in Vietnam and Iraq had in their respective eras. And this is happening without any American troops directly engaged in either conflict.
Why the US Continues to Fail in the Arab World
The success or failure of a president’s term in office is rarely judged by whether or not they accomplish the agenda they set for themselves.
Biden Should Heed Democratic Voters on Gaza
2024 may be the first election in which the issues involving Palestinian rights may impact the outcome. Over the past several decades, elections have been fought over a range of domestic and foreign policy concerns - from civil rights and abortion to the wars in Vietnam and Iraq.