Monday September 10, 2012
It’s baffling that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other democratic officials doubled down on the DNC’s motion to push through a voice vote on a resolution recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at the Democratic National Convention. In an interview with the LA Times on Saturday, Mayor Villaraigosa played down the significance of the three-time response to the controversial measure on the floor of the DNC, saying the media blew the whole thing out of proportion and that it was the media, not the delegates, who were concerned about the measure. “Not one person objected. It’s more a media concern than a delegate concern,” the LA Times quoted him as saying... Read More »
Thursday September 06, 2012
There is plenty of blame to go around for the fiasco on the floor of the Democratic National Convention yesterday, where an amendment to the Party platform was forced through the convention floor despite significant vocal opposition. Read More »
Tuesday September 04, 2012
Today, the Arab American Institute and J Street co-sponsored an event at the DNC titled "Israeli Palestinian Peace: A US Policy Imperative." The panel focused on the American political calculus behind the current impasse in Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, and prospects for furthering the peace process in a Romney and or an Obama presidency after November 6. Read More »
Wednesday August 22, 2012
The verdict in the civil lawsuit against the State of Israel for the killing of peace activist Rachel Corrie over nine years ago will be announced August 28, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. at the Haifa District Court. Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American from Olympia, Washington, was crushed to death March 16, 2003, by an Israeli military Caterpillar D9-R bulldozer while nonviolently protesting demolition of Palestinian civilian homes in Rafah, Gaza. Read More »
Wednesday August 01, 2012
Over the past few days, POLITICO has been doing an exceptional job covering a number of the key issues we deal with on a daily basis and which affect our community politically and socially. Among others, POLITICO has covered the fallout of the Michele Bachmann’s Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy, Mitt Romney’s latest trip to Israel, and how Islamophobia is factoring into certain congressional races. We encourage you to read the following articles which are extremely informative, and shed light on the some of the arguments being used to characterize these larger issues. Read More »
Friday July 27, 2012
U.S. Middle East policy insider Aaron Miller predicted a major clash between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should Obama win a second term. Read More »
Wednesday July 18, 2012
Palestinian film maker Leila Sansour is racing against only one other contender to break into the lead with her moving film about the wall in Palestine. This is the first year that Virgin opens the vote to the public. If her film wins it will screen for a whole year in UK cinemas and beyond running alongside other ads before commercial film screenings. This will be an important media achievement in raising awareness of the wall's impact in Palestine and a great chance for the Palestinian story to reach an entirely new audience. Read More »
Tuesday July 17, 2012
You could have easily missed the news reports last week highlighting the contrived controversy surrounding a New York Metro billboard advertisement about the conditions of Palestinian refugees. The ad, paid for by Henry Clifford, Chairman of The Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine (CJPIP), received sharp criticism from some groups and individuals who allege that the ads are biased, anti-Israel, and anti-Semitic. Read More »
Tuesday July 17, 2012
In 48 hours Virgin will select the winning 2 minute short from 750 running this year in competition. Palestinian film maker Leila Sansour is about 200 votes shy of having this moving film about the wall in Palestine come first. This is the first year that Virgin opens the vote to the public. If her film wins it will screen for a whole year in UK cinemas and beyond running alongside other ads before commercial film screenings. Read More »
Monday July 16, 2012
By Dan Korey
Last Monday the Levy Commission, a panel commissioned by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the legal status of settlements and outposts in the West Bank, released its final report, concluding that Israel’s presence in the West Bank does not constitute occupation, and therefore all settlements and outposts are legal under international law. Read More »
Monday July 16, 2012
By Nama Khalil and Jeffrey Wright
On July 10, the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia held a hearing entitled “Chronic Kleptocracy: Corruption within the Palestinian Establishment.” As their title suggests, the hearings were meant to expose the corruption of Palestinian political institutions, particularly that of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Fatah Party that remains dominant within the PA. Read More »
Friday July 13, 2012
Leila Sansour, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Open Bethlehem, is currently working on a film about Bethlehem. In the process putting it together, she shot the following 2-minute stand-alone segment in Walaja, titled “They Came in the Morning.” It’s a moving piece about a Palestinian man who lost his olive trees to the Israeli occupation, which cut them down to build the apartheid and annexation barrier around Bethlehem. Read More »
Thursday July 12, 2012
By Dan Korey
Last week the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted on two motions relating to divestment and boycott of Israel. Read More »
Friday June 29, 2012
In a video released this week by the Institute for Palestine Studies, Arab American Institute founder Jim Zogby sits down with Sandra Tamari, a Palestinian American activist recently detained at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Read More »
Friday June 29, 2012
Today, UNESCO voted to place Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity on its “List of World Heritage in Danger.” Read More »
Thursday June 28, 2012
While we are far from reaching the threshold that could force Israel to end the occupation, this Caterpillar victory is a milestone worth celebrating. Read More »
Thursday June 28, 2012
By Nicole Abi-Esber
Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire who largely bankrolled Newt Gingrich’s presidential bid, has begun to donate large sums of money to GOP super-PACs. Read More »
Sunday June 24, 2012
Earlier this month, we wrote about a democratic primary in North Jersey between Bill Pascrell and Steve Rothman, in which we noted a new standard for Arab American engagement in the political process. Jim Zogby said Pascrell’s victory was evidence of an Arab American political "coming of age," showing that the community could come out in support of a candidate, get out the vote and help get them elected. That is precisely what the community did in New Jersey's 9th district for Bill Pascrell, and it is exactly why efforts have been mounted to vilify Arab American voters in New Jersey and beyond. Read More »
Friday June 22, 2012
In light of Congressional moves to strip refugee status away from most Palestinians, it’s important to look at the current situation of the Palestinian diaspora. A recent report by American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) documents the plight of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, who must bear the worst refugee conditions in the region. Read More »
Thursday June 21, 2012
By Sara Jawhari
This June, the Polyphony Youth Orchestra, comprised of Israel’s most talented young Arab and Jewish musicians, will come to the United States to share not just their artistic gifts, but their vision for a just and equal future in their divided home country. Read More »
#NC lawmaker equates Islamic prayer w/ terror http://t.co/G9sp1NeLC1 @mostrolenk @aaiusa h/t @ozzyformayor
about 3 hours, 46 minutes ago.
Latest poll to be released Friday finds Americans are divided on continuing aid to #Egypt: http://t.co/1spZM1m9d2
about 6 hours, 27 minutes ago.
RT @MaiE_89: In the 1990’s, #Egypt had a 60% favorable rating among Americans, while today only 36% of US views the country positively via @AAIUSA
about 6 hours, 31 minutes ago.
Looking at Iran by James Zogby
Kahlil Gibran Awards Gala - April 16, 2013President Obama got it just about perfect in his Jerusalem speech when he urged Israelis to see the world through the eyes of Palestinians. That portion of his remarks was so compelling it deserves to be quoted in full: Read More »
Air Date: 5/31/2012
Fellows from Syracuse University’s “Leaders for Democracy Fellowship Program (LDF); Bill Press, Host of the “Bill Press Show” and author of the new book, The Obama Hate Machine: The Lies, Distortions, and Personal Attacks on the President---and Who Is Behind Them. Read More »
The story of Arab Americans coming of age as an organized community is a classic American tale of immigrants seeking opportunity, benefiting from America’s freedoms, but also experiencing, at times, the dark side of exclusion and discrimination that has so often been a part of our nation’s history. Read More »
Apr 16 2013
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