Issam Nashashibi
In this commentary for EI, Issam Nashashibi argues that the recent poll purporting to show that few Palestinian refugees want to exercise their right of return is only the latest of many efforts to manage Palestinians’ expectations and convince them to accept less than their fundamental rights. This effort, like others before it, will not succeed. Read more about Efforts to negate right of return have long, ignoble history 

Issam Nashashibi
Two prominent African American members of Congress lost their primary bids for re-election in 2002. Their defeats were widely attributed to the influence of AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel lobby group in Washington, which was angered by positions they had taken in support of Palestinian human rights. Issam Nashashibi, in this contribution to EI, writes that while the US and Arab press continue to mythologize AIPAC’s power and invincibility, the lobby’s influence is often exaggerated. This, he argues, means that there are good prospects for Arab Americans to play a bigger role in shaping debate and policy in US politics. Read more about AIPAC's power is often overrated