The Arab American Institute organizes the 3.7 million Arab Americans across the country to ensure an informed, organized, and effective constituency is represented in all aspects of civic life.
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At a time when we are seeing unprecedented human suffering in Gaza, it is imperative that we do not take away a lifeline available to Palestinians civilians. A group of members of Congress have drafted a Dear Colleague letter to congressional appropriators in support of humanitarian assistance in Gaza and to oppose any efforts to halt or reduce future funding of UNRWA.
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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.
President Joseph Biden faced heady tasks as he delivered this year’s State of the Union address to Congress. He had to confront concerns about his age, voter anxiety about the economy, the dysfunctional environment created by Republican hyper-partisanship, and the ongoing threat to our democratic processes posed by a feared replay of the January 6th, 2021 insurrection.
The message sent last Tuesday by more than one hundred thousand Michigan Democrats who cast their ballots for “uncommitted” was crystal clear. They were telling President Biden to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and make dramatic changes in policy because they were having a problem voting for him or encouraging others to do so.
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. A more important measure is how effective they are in responding to the unexpected challenges with which they are confronted. And more often than not, these unexpected challenges originate in the Middle East.
This past weekend, I was supposed to travel to Chicago for the Arab American Democratic Club’s annual candidates’ brunch. Illness prevented my travel. Instead, I’m writing what I was going to say in my keynote remarks, hoping that it will help both younger and older Arab Americans better understand how much has changed for the community over the past four decades.
Four months into Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, one might have thought that American policymakers and commentators would have learned some lessons. Instead, their discussions about the conflict appear to remain trapped in the same tiresome and, at times, delusional framing that existed before the current fighting began.
Twenty years ago, my brother John Zogby called that year’s presidential contest “the Armageddon Election.” He was referring to the way each side was characterizing the dangers to the country and the world should the other side win. Since then, that term has been used to describe every presidential election and will no doubt be dragged out and repurposed again in 2024. And for good reason.
Despite the Biden administration’s refusal to back a ceasefire that would help end Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, momentum is growing across the US calling on the administration to reverse course. What is significant is that the opposition to the White House’s position is coming from within the President’s own party.
2024 may be the first election in which the issues involving Palestinian rights may impact the outcome.
Last week, the New York Times carried a lengthy Tom Friedman article, “What Is Happening to Our World.” In it, Friedman makes the claim that Hamas could have turned Gaza into Dubai if only they had made the right choices in 2005.
One day last week, the New York Times printed two separate articles describing Israeli and Palestinian reactions to the ongoing war that, together, paint a disturbing portrait of where we are three months after October 7th.
With genocide unfolding in Gaza, Christians in the Holy Land are having a difficult time feeling joy this Christmas season. Bethlehem has canceled its traditional celebrations. There will be no tree-lighting or festivities.