Israel’s apartheid government has reached a level of extremism that dramatically escalates the threat to Palestinian existence, and efforts of Israel’s apologists to shut down criticism of Israeli apartheid has mounted a threat to free expression right here in the US. Omar Baddar will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the necessary change we need in US policy, as well as the battle to have an honest debate about this policy.

Omar Baddar is a Palestinian American political analyst and activist based in Washington, DC. His life-long work is dedicated to challenging U.S. policies that harm communities at home and abroad, with emphasis on U.S. support for Israeli apartheid, which was the focus of his academic research. Omar has participated in dozens of panels, lectures, and debates on college and university campuses throughout the US. His media appearances include the BBC, MSNBC, Al-Jazeera, Sky News, Voice of America, and other outlets, and his writings have appeared in Salon, Newsweek, Huffpost, the Daily Beast, and Jadaliyya, among other platforms. He previously served as communications director at the Institute for Middle East Understanding, deputy director of the Arab American Institute, digital producer and presenter with Al Jazeera, and executive director at the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Massachusetts.