The murder of George Floyd at the hands of a policeman unleashed a wave of protest across the United States. He was not the first unarmed Black man or woman to be murdered by an officer using unwarranted deadly force (there are about 100 per year).

I have been deeply distressed by the growing political backlash to the restrictions that many states and local governments have put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Last week, the Middle East Institute released our new book, “The Tumultuous Decade.” It presents the findings of a decade of Zogby Research Services’ (ZRS) polling across the Middle East and North Africa.

On May 20, the Middle East Institute will release my new book “The Tumultuous Decade,” a book that brings together a decade of Zogby Research Services (ZRS) of Arab, Turkish and Iranian public opinion.

It was appropriate that during the week in which we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the San Remo Conference, Israelis and Americans were discussing the Israeli government’s declared intention to annex large portions of occupied Palestinian lands.

In last week’s column, I cautioned that in the face of the severe economic dislocation currently experienced by so many families across the United States, we could expect to see the emergence of a number of political and social movements.

“Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those who lost a family member or friend, must be quickly forgotten.

While reporting from Israel/Palestine has focused on Israel’s difficulties in forming a new government and on measures being taken by Israelis to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic, the story behind the story is the role anti-Arab racism has played in these developments.

The COVID-19 crisis is taking a human and economic toll everywhere across the US.