Language, culture and politics are the ingredients of society; how they are mixed determines the kind of society we create. In his succinct essay Politics and the English Language George Orwell wrote, "the words democracy, socialism, freedom, patriotic, realistic, justice have each of them several different meanings which cannot be reconciled with one another. In the case of a word like democracy, not only is there is no agreed definition, but the attempt to make one is resisted from all sides. It is almost universally felt that when we call a country democratic we are praising it: consequently the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using the word if it were tied down to any one meaning."

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President Joe Biden earned deserved modest praise for his visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia last week, restoring confidence in core Middle East alliances. But the president made at least one major misstep: He pledged $201 million to the corrupt and bloated United Nations Relief and Works Agency, a step back into the failed policies of the past on a trip dedicated to continuing the forward progress made in the region in recent years.

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Congressional resolutions honor and commemorate, condemn, and even bluster. Rarely do they endorse a false conception of history as a means of conducting political warfare against an American ally.

House Resolution 1123, introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), does just that. It also serves as an ominous warning about the future of the wider Democratic Party as its progressive wing organizes and grows in anticipation of a changing of the guard.

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Members of the Middle East Studies Association have passed a resolution endorsing a comprehensive boycott of Israel.

The resolution accuses Israel of a long list of abuses, including restricting freedom of movement for Palestinians; isolating, undermining, or otherwise attacking Palestinian educational institutions; harassing Palestinian professors, teachers, and students; harassing Israeli professors and students criticizing Israeli policies; destroying, confiscating, or otherwise rendering Palestinian archival material inaccessible; and maintaining inequality in educational resources between Palestinians and Israelis.

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In a recent webinar for Americans for Peace Now (APN), the new U.S. ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides, discussed his vision for the Middle East. Among the topics he addressed was the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, better known as UNRWA. He declared that he didn't believe giving money to UNRWA hurts the security of Israel.

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