Need to Remember: Palestinians in Gaza are Still Suffering
It’s disturbing how the US news media flits from story to story, seemingly incapable of sustaining attention on events that require it.
Biden’s Legacy: Complicity in Israel’s Gaza War
History will not be kind to the presidency of Joseph Biden when it evaluates his administration’s handling of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. At best, his response will be judged weak and feckless. At worst, he will be seen as enabling of or even complicitous in the crimes committed.
The Gaza War Won’t End by Imposing a “Solution” on Palestinians
One century ago, when Western European powers were planning to carve up the Arab East, the US attempted to convince them to take a different path.
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.
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.
Questions That Must Be Asked
Why—in the midst of critical negotiations to implement President Biden’s plan to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, release Israelis held captive by Hamas and a significant number of Palestinians held by Israel, and move toward a negotiated permanent end to the conflict—would Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu decide to assassinate the chief Hamas negotiator while he was visiting Iran? And why—while the US says it was working to deescalate tensions with Lebanon’s Hezbollah—would Israel choose to up the ante by assassinating Hezbollah’s number two?
Observations on the Netanyahu Visit
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US to address a joint session of Congress provided us with a lot to digest. It was his fourth such invitation—more than any other world leader in history (surpassing the UK’s Winston Churchill who made the trans-Atlantic trek to address Congress on three occasions).
What Polls Can Teach Us About Arab American Voters in 2024
More often than not, those in the media take a simplistic view of political polls. Especially in a presidential election year, attention tends to be singularly focused on who’s up and who’s down.
Israel’s Backhanded “Apology” for the Rafah Bombing
On Monday, May 27, Israel appeared to “apologize” for the deaths of 45 Palestinians resulting from its bombing raid on a “humanitarian zone” in Rafah. By any measure, it was a backhanded apology that conveyed more insult than atonement.
The Impact of the Student Protests on Biden’s Re-elect
University student protests against US support for Israel’s war in Gaza have spread like wildfire. At last count, there have been sustained demonstrations on over 200 campuses. More recently, students have taken to establishing protest encampments in the center of some campuses. This began last week at Columbia University in New York. Ten days later there were encampments at almost four dozen universities.
The Importance of Land Day to Palestinians
Land has always been central to the Palestinian national identity. I learned this lesson in 1971 when I spent time in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan collecting people’s stories of the Nakbah.
First Recognize Palestinian Humanity
Guys in white shirts and ties in Washington and their counterparts in Israel are sitting around tables making plans for what they want to see after Israel ends its genocidal assault on Gaza (if they ever end it).
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 Did Biden Open the SOTU With Ukraine & Close With Gaza?
President Joseph Biden faced heady tasks as he delivered this year’s State of the Union address to Congress.