Jim Zogby, Arab American Institute

December 2, 2019 – The Trump Administration’s declaration that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian lands are not illegal was, in fact, a consequential act – ­though not for the reasons cited by Israelis or Palestinians. It was also “the nail in the coffin” ­– though not the “coffin of the peace process”– as some Palestinians […]

June 17, 2019 – I have long argued that the American identity was fundamentally different than that of most other countries in the world. While the identity of most nations has been ethnic-based, being American represented an inclusive idea that transcended ethnicity. For centuries we have absorbed peoples from all over the world and, within […]

June 9, 2018 – Back in 2016, without debate or an actual vote, the US Senate stealthily passed a disturbing and dangerous piece of legislation called “The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2016” (AAA). The bill would have required the Department of Education (ED) to apply a State Department (DOS) working definition of anti-Semitism in evaluating […]

Jan. 29, 2018 – US Vice President Michael Pence’s recent foray into Middle East politics has been nothing short of a disaster. Because he sees the world through the lens of right-wing Evangelical Christianity, he trampled on regional realities, leaving a mess in his wake. One might have hoped that American political leaders had learned the […]

March 13, 2017 – Last week President Donald Trump issued a revised Executive Order (EO or Order) restricting immigration from six majority Muslim countries and more than halving the US refugee program. This version includes some significant changes: it is more carefully written; it removes Iraq from the list of countries falling under the ban; […]

Feb. 21, 2017 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump was overshadowed by dramatic and unsettling events that preceded and followed their perfectly bizarre press conference. The week began with the forced resignation of White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and revelations of extensive communications between Trump campaign aides […]

Jan. 18, 2017 – In just a matter of days, President-elect Donald Trump will have to decide on whether or not to make good on his promise to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. As we approach Inauguration Day, liberal and conservative commentators, alike, have offered a number of ideas […]

Dec. 24, 2016 – There was considerable drama leading up to the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (UNSCR 2334) reaffirming the illegality of Israeli settlements. It began with all hell breaking loose Thursday morning when it became clear that the Egyptians would submit their resolution on Israeli settlements for a vote at […]

Nov. 26, 2016 – James Zogby is President of the Arab American Institute, a non-profit, nonpartisan national leadership organization created to nurture and encourage the direct participation of Arab Americans in political and civic life in the United States. Last week, I joined several hundred protesters in a sit-in in front of the Army Corps […]

August 13, 2016 – This presidential election is exposing deep fault-lines in our society and the failure of some of the basic institutions of our democracy. If we don’t change direction, we’re on our way to “hell in a handbasket”. I begin with the difficult situation in which Republicans now find themselves as they watch […]