Speakers
Ian Lustick
Bess W. Heyman Chair, Emeritus, Political Science Department, University of Pennsylvania
Jehad Abusalim
Executive Director, The Gaza Genocide Center
Cory Archibald
Co-founder, Track AIPAC
Lara Friedman
President, Foundation for Middle East Peace
Zaha Hassan
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Daniel Levy
President, U.S./Middle East Project
Omar H. Rahman
Fellow, Middle East Council on Global Affairs
Josh Ruebner
Policy Director, Institute for Middle East Understanding
Debra Shushan
Senior Resident Affiliate, Walsh School of Foreign Service
Moderator
Ryan Grim
Co-founder of Drop Site News and the co-host of Counter Points
Sara Yasin
Palestinian-American journalist and writer; Founder of The Key, a new Palestine-focused digital publication. Former Managing Editor of the Los Angeles Times
About the Conference
After nearly four years, the most extreme, right-wing Israeli government in history has inflicted massive, devastating damage on Palestinian life. The current landscape is marked by several severe developments. The genocide in Gaza and prolonged Israeli military operations have resulted in staggering loss of life, mass displacement, the targeting of civilian infrastructure, and dire humanitarian conditions. Annexation, settlement expansion, and settler violence in the West Bank are escalating. Globally, Israel’s unpopularity has reached unprecedented levels. Significant shifts in public and political opinion are now taking place in the United States—Israel’s most crucial ally and top provider of military support. The upcoming 2026 US midterm elections will be a critical indicator of whether these public opinion shifts are translating into tangible policy decisions in Congress.
In response to these unprecedented developments, Arab Center Washington DC is hosting its 3rd Annual Palestine Conference to discuss the realities on the ground in Palestine and assess shifts in US politics toward Palestine and Israel. Experts will evaluate the ongoing devastation, status of human rights, and the urgent need for international accountability; explore where Palestinian politics, regional stability, and the global diplomatic effort can go from here; and examine the potential for genuine policy shifts and change as pivotal midterm elections take place in the United States.
Conference Agenda
8:30 AM – Registration and Breakfast
9:15 AM – Welcome and Introduction
9:30 AM – Opening Keynote Address
Ian Lustick
Bess W. Heyman Chair, Emeritus, Political Science Department, University of Pennsylvania. Author of Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power (2026)
Yousef Munayyer – Moderator
Head of the Palestine/Israel Program and Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
10:15 AM – Panel I
Assessing the Situation on the Ground
Jehad Abusalim, Executive Director, The Gaza Genocide Center
Yara M. Asi, Assistant Professor in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics, University of Central Florida; Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
Zaha Hassan, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Omar H. Rahman, Fellow, Middle East Council on Global Affairs
Debra Shushan, Senior Resident Affiliate, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.
12:00 PM – Book Talk Luncheon
Assal Rad, Historian of the modern Middle East; Non-resident Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC. Author of Don’t Say Palestine: How the Media Manufactured Consent for Genocide (2026)
Sara Yasin – Moderator
Palestinian-American journalist and writer; Founder of The Key, a new Palestine-focused digital publication. Former Managing Editor of the Los Angeles Times
1:15 PM – Panel II
What Change is Possible?
Cory Archibald, Co-founder, Track AIPAC
Lara Friedman, President, Foundation for Middle East Peace
Daniel Levy, President, U.S./Middle East Project
Josh Ruebner, Policy Director, Institute for Middle East Understanding
Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, and the Director of the Critical Issues Poll, University of Maryland; Member of the Academic Advisory Board, Arab Center Washington DC
Ryan Grim – Moderator
Co-founder of Drop Site News and the co-host of Counter Points
3:00 PM – Adjournment
