Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Arab Center Washington DC experts examined the trajectory of US policy on Palestine one year into Donald Trump’s second presidency, assessing whether his administration’s approach represents a temporary disruption or a deeper, institutionalized shift in American foreign policy. Speakers analyzed Trump’s personalized and transactional “America First” doctrine, its far-reaching implications for US engagement in the Middle East, and its unequivocal alignment with Israeli objectives, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank. The discussion explored the administration’s proposed reconstruction framework for Gaza, the erosion of traditional diplomatic norms, and the broader dismantling of international and domestic policy structures. Panelists also examined profound changes within US domestic politics, including the Democratic Party’s growing internal rupture over Palestine, shifting public opinion across ideological lines, the evolving role of the Israel lobby, and the rise of grassroots, youth-led, and campus-based movements confronting repression and redefining Palestine as a central domestic political issue in the United States.
This panel was part of the Fourth Annual Palestine Forum held by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.
Speakers:
Khalil E. Jahshan
Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC
Tamara Kharroub
Deputy Executive Director & Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
Yousef Munayyer
Head of the Palestine/Israel Program and Senior Fellow. Arab Center Washington DC
Hanna Alshaikh
Palestine Project Coordinator, Arab Center Washington DC
Moderator
Imad K. Harb
Director of Research and Analysis, Arab Center Washington DC
Arab Center Washington DC experts examined the trajectory of US policy on Palestine one year into Donald Trump’s second presidency, assessing whether his administration’s approach represents a temporary disruption or a deeper, institutionalized shift in American foreign policy. Speakers analyzed Trump’s personalized and transactional “America First” doctrine, its far-reaching implications for US engagement in the Middle East, and its unequivocal alignment with Israeli objectives, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank. The discussion explored the administration’s proposed reconstruction framework for Gaza, the erosion of traditional diplomatic norms, and the broader dismantling of international and domestic policy structures. Panelists also examined profound changes within US domestic politics, including the Democratic Party’s growing internal rupture over Palestine, shifting public opinion across ideological lines, the evolving role of the Israel lobby, and the rise of grassroots, youth-led, and campus-based movements confronting repression and redefining Palestine as a central domestic political issue in the United States.
This panel was part of the Fourth Annual Palestine Forum held by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.
Speakers:
Khalil E. Jahshan
Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC
Tamara Kharroub
Deputy Executive Director & Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
Yousef Munayyer
Head of the Palestine/Israel Program and Senior Fellow. Arab Center Washington DC
Hanna Alshaikh
Palestine Project Coordinator, Arab Center Washington DC
Moderator
Imad K. Harb
Director of Research and Analysis, Arab Center Washington DC
