We all owe Farah Nabulsi an enormous debt of gratitude. In a short 24-minute film, The Present, she has exposed the oppressive indecency of the Israeli occupation while telling the deeply moving story of a Palestinian family.
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With all due respect to his years of service, it is time for Mahmoud Abbas to step aside. He should not run for office in the upcoming Palestinian elections and he should cede the reins of Fateh to others.
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It’s been a decade since the conflict in Syria began, and the toll has been staggering. Over one-half million have been killed, a quarter of whom are civilians. More than one-half of Syria’s pre-war population of 21 million have become either refugees or internally displaced persons – in near equal measure. Most Syrian children have lost years of education and normal social development and are living in poverty without adequate services. And there’s still no end in sight
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At the conclusion of Israel’s fourth election in two years, the picture that emerges is as clear as mud. Here’s what we have learned from the outcome: Benjamin Netanyahu, though despised by many voters, remains the most potent force in the country
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Israelis are going to the polls for the fourth time in two years. It’s a weird election, to be sure, in part because for some it’s so very important, while for others so very little is at stake.
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Over the years, the approach of most American policymakers toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been Israel-centric with near total disregard for the suffering endured by the Palestinian people.
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Traumatic, violent acts bookended the first two decades of this century. The first was the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which claimed the lives of almost 3,000 innocents. The second was the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol which took its own unique toll on American life. Though vastly different, 9/11 and 1/6 both hit us hard.
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There are times when no news is, in fact, big news. This is an article about a recent example that proves the wisdom of this maxim.
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Israelis love to use their hasbara machinery to get good press. But, as is the case with propagandists, the stories they generate frequently fail to reflect reality. Israel’s handling of the Coronavirus has provided several examples.
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In January 2017, the Middle East that Donald Trump inherited from his predecessors was mostly in tatters. Daesh was in control of large swaths of Iraq and Syria. Civil wars were raging in Yemen and Libya.
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In the very month in which I read articles condemning the “cancel culture” – which some apply exclusively to the “left’s efforts to silence or shame views with which they disagree” – several disturbing incidents caught my attention.
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If finding a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict weren’t difficult enough, the Trump Administration and the Netanyahu government seem hell bent on making this already bad situation even worse. Sensing that the Trump era will soon be over, members of his team and the Israelis are racing against the clock to implement new “facts on the ground” that will, they hope, permanently alter the political landscape in Israel’s favor.
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Any discussion of Arab Americans must consider, at the outset, both the deep diversity as well as the shared attitudes and concerns that exist within the community. As is the case with most ethnic groups, Arab Americans are not a monolith.
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When they go to the polls to cast their ballot for President of the United States, 59% of Arab Americans say they will vote for Democratic candidate Joseph Biden with only 35% supporting the reelection of President Trump. This is one of the findings of a nationwide poll of 805 Arab American voters conducted by the Arab American Institute during the second week of October 2020.
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During the past century, we have witnessed a long and tragic history of domestic policies that have targeted persons of Arab descent. We’ve been subjected to discriminatory treatment by law enforcement, immigration authorities, and by both Democratic and Republican Administrations. In addition to these hurtful policies, it is important to note the role played by the scapegoating of Arabs in American politics.
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Donald Trump isn’t the first politician to use demonization of foreigners, whether Arabs or Muslims, as a campaign tactic. And his administration isn’t the first to implement policies that have adversely affected these communities. But while we have a century of such policies, the Trump era has elevated them to a level so dangerous it is imperative that they now finally be confronted and defeated.
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I often write an article on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks reflecting on the impact that tragedy had on my country and my community. I believe that it is important we never forget how we felt on that day and the days that followed.
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Because we should care about what people are thinking about critical issues, polling is important. It opens a window so we can hear the voices of public opinion and make intelligent policy decisions.
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Any discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must begin with the recognition of the fact that the Palestinians have been the victims of a century of machinations that have brought them to where they are today.
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With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising to annex portions of the West Bank, liberal critics here in the US and across Europe are in a tizzy.
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