Washington Watch Articles From 2022
No Government Has the Right to Pass Such Laws
During the past month Israel has held 800 Palestinians under administrative detention orders, expelled several Palestinians from East Jerusalem, seized more Arab-owned land from areas around Hebron and in the Jordan Valley turning much of it over to settlers, and instituted a lockdown of many Palestinian areas during Jewish religious days. All of this passed without notice in the US press because Israel policies, such as these, have long been routine features of the 55 year-long occupation.
Without a Vision, the People Perish
Here’s a story I’ve never told before:
I traveled to Tunisia in late 1993 to meet with PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat.
Can the Arab East Move Past the Mess It’s In?
As someone who polls Arab public opinion, I’ve long been a fan of the 1919 King-Crane Commission created by President Woodrow Wilson to assess how the people of the Arab East wanted to be governed in the post-World War I era. The British and French had designs on the Arab East, but Wilson, though an arch-segregationist at home, declared that the newly liberated Arabs should shape their own destiny and that any post-war settlement regarding “territory [or] sovereignty [should be determined on] the basis of the free acceptance of that settlement by the people immediately concerned.”
Palestinians Can Learn from Irish Successes
Last week, Mary Lou McDonald, the President of Sinn Fein, the Irish republican/socialist party, and leader of the opposition in the Irish Parliament, addressed a European Union conference.
A New Palestinian Strategy Is Desperately Needed
A terrible and tragic drama is playing out across Israel/Palestine. It is a dance of death with Israelis and Palestinians engaged, each in their own way, in destructive violence.
Remembering Madeleine Albright
I was deeply saddened on learning of the passing of former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
About Double Standards
The battle brewing among US liberals and progressives in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine brought flashbacks of debates that occurred in the aftermath of Saddam Hussein’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait.
Whither the PLO?
When it comes to the Palestine Liberation Organization, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that the PLO is near dead.
History, Guilt, and Justice
Every year during Black History Month in the United States, I recall a televised interview with Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier I watched over a half century ago.
A Turning Point in Criticism of Israeli Human Rights Policies
This past month, we were treated to a few classic examples of how Israel deals with criticism and how it may be finding it increasingly difficult to dodge challenges to its abusive behaviors.
No Visa Waiver for Israel Until Arab American Rights Are Protected
Last week the Jerusalem Post ran a story under the headline “Palestinian Americans to be allowed to land at Ben Gurion Airport.”