March 12th

Morality and Interest in Helping Lebanon In Print by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) - June 20, 2006 - 12:00am It is, of course, a reassuring sight to see thousands of American citizens and other western nationals being evacuated by their governments from war-torn Lebanon. But spare a thought, and some serious political consideration, for those not so fortunate, especially the Lebanese and Palestinian people who are presently baring the brunt of the suffering caused by the conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah and Hamas. » Read more

Time for better decisions to be made on Palestine-Israel In Print by Ziad Asali - The Daily Star (Opinion) - May 21, 2003 - 12:00am The Palestine-Israel conflict has become a hostage to fundamentalists and ideologues of every description, to people who advocate a clash of civilizations and religions in pursuit of their own warped visions of history and mythology. These fanatics, whether Jews, Christians or Muslims, can best be called “clashists” (to rhyme with fascists.) The sad fact is that the issue of Palestine has become the latest “last refuge of scoundrels.” The rest of us, unencumbered by divine certitude about the future and open to reason and compromise, have found it harder to have a public voice and space. » Read more

Time for Palestinians to take charge of their destiny In Print by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) - June 9, 2004 - 12:00am The cautious President Mubarak has overcome Egyptian reticence to get involved in Gaza. His initial concerns about the risk of getting Egyptian personnel targeted by Palestinians and enhancing the risk of direct confrontation with Israel after four decades of peace, have given way to accepting to take on an active security role in Gaza. It seems that Egypt’s concerns about the ensuing anarchy, or fundamentalist take over in Gaza after the withdrawal, and Egypt’s strategic choice to play the regional power broker in coordination with the US, have all overweighed other considerations. » Read more

Wall and Peace In Print by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) - August 20, 2003 - 12:00am The long struggle to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians is at a crossroads that will almost certainly determine the direction of future events for decades, if not indeed for generations. » Read more

Remarks by Ziad Asali at Congressional Middle East Coexistence Conference Speech by Ziad Asali at 2325 Rayburn Building - February 12, 2004 - 1:00am The Holy Land, a tiny sliver of the landmass of this earth, has generated emotions of unbridled intensity. It offered sublime guidance to mankind and made unparalleled contributions to the best in civilizations and cultures while at the same time releasing wayward passions that bred violence, death and destruction. It appealed to the most noble of instincts as it did to the most base and banal corners of people's souls. It has been an open wound whose healing has defied the wisdom of the best minds for a century or more. » Read more

Arab-American Perceptions of U.S. Policy Toward the Middle East Speech by Ziad Asali at U.S. Dept. of State - March 26, 2002 - 1:00am The tragic events of September 11th have had a profound impact on the relationship between the United States and the Arab and Islamic Worlds. The war on terrorism in Afghanistan is the first phase of a long, opaque and complex engagement that will define international relations for decades to come. Arab Americans, both Christians and Muslims, have had the unique experience of being doubly impacted by this tragedy: first as Americans, and secondly as people of Arab heritage. We will be in this unique position, filled with dangers and opportunities, for the foreseeable future. » Read more

The Past, the Present and a Better Future Speech by Ziad Asali at Carnegie Mellon University - October 18, 2004 - 12:00am This is my first visit to Pittsburgh and it is quite a pleasure to be here. In the mid-seventies my son, barely four years at the time, became a big fan of the Steelers and Bradshaw, so I became one too. I watched more football games with him than I would by temperament, past the glory days of his beloved Steelers, to shift my loyalty, after my son’s, to our home team, the Chicago Bears, through their short lived glory in 1985, but we stuck with them. We still support a struggling team. » Read more

On the Historic Compromise Speech by Ziad Asali at Cornell University - November 4, 2004 - 1:00am Last year, my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Ithaca and enjoyed the hospitality of Watermargin. The idyllic surroundings, which I assume most of you take for granted, and the kind and inquisitive reception by your students as I addressed them, has created in my mind an association of Cornell with pleasant and soothing memories. So when Professor Michelle Campos asked me to come to Cornell, all we needed to discuss was when, because I could not resist visiting these gorges again. » Read more

What is to be done? Speech by Ziad Asali at Newark, New Jersey - October 18, 2004 - 12:00am A consensus, that is, nearly a consensus, about the contours of the final agreement for a genuine and lasting peace is known. It is a variation of the themes of Clinton’s Taba proposal, The Geneva Initiative, Nusseibeh- Ayalon, One Voice and most importantly, the Road Map. Polls and surveys of Palestinians, Israelis, American Jews and Arabs, as well as the general American public, indicate support for a Two-State solution based on what has come to be called the Historic Compromise. » Read more

Palestine and Israel: Unkind History, Uncertain Future Speech by Ziad Asali at Cornell University - September 3, 2003 - 12:00am For a conflict that has been described as intractable, insoluble and “centuries old”, the most dramatic feature about the Palestine/ Israel conflict is the near unanimous agreement about the contours of its final resolution. Think about that. The majority of the Palestinians, Israelis, Arabs, Jews, Americans, Europeans, and people all over the world as well as global institutions and bodies are in support of an outline that goes as follows: » Read more