The past two weeks have presented a series of challenges, prompting me to step back and take stock, away from social media and the general public. The war with Iran has revealed deeply disturbing trends and realities about how many people are unable to have nuanced thoughts or to exercise and compartmentalize critical thinking that separates their disagreements from the current administration, with overt support for the despicable Iranian Regime. Hamas in Gaza has been allowed to hold two million Palestinians as hostages, killing, torturing, and disappearing people, and preventing any progress toward rehabilitation and reconstruction. Israeli settler violence is out of control in the West Bank, and many seem perfectly fine with it. The state of “pro-Palestine” activism is in an embarrassing disarray, with the Palestinian cause in the diaspora being championed by the worst possible combination of extremists, agents of hatred and chaos, close-minded, highly unintelligent people, and promoters of terrorism, violence, antisemitism, and false narratives. There is a never-ending cacophony of noise, unenlightened voices, and threats that come my way, always requiring security or the involvement of authorities to speak at events or just carry on. There is also a never-ending stream of really unconvincing, dumb commentary by supposed experts, journalists, and activists, whose relevance relies on vomiting continuous trash that keeps masquerading as helpful insights. Then there is Washington and its brilliant culture, where many fake, uncompelling people act as backstabbing wolves, always hiding in sheep’s clothing. The most consequential city in the world is populated by a large number of government, NGO, and academic leftovers who contributed to the disastrous US foreign policies that brought our country to where it is today. Though I believe in my work and I am ruthlessly focused on seeing progress towards a better pathway forward, the truth of the matter is that every single day consists of dealing with a Hamas-controlled Gaza, a Smotrich / Ben Gvir-dominated Israeli government, a confused and hesitant US administration, hopelessly useless and destructive “pro-Palestine” communities, and a large number of Arab and Muslim Americans living in parallel universes either totally disengaged from life in the Western world or fully enmeshed in the most destructive social and political positions that make working with them nearly impossible now. One of my chief struggles is that, in an effort to reach unreachable audiences, I have pulled back on some of my harsh critiques and my desire to be brutally honest and transparent about my thoughts, truths, feelings, observations, assessments, analyses, and commentary. This has been especially true since arriving in Washington and creating the Realign For Palestine project, which is no longer just about what I think but about the bigger picture. And in that sense, I miss being able to truly speak my mind without “offending” people I am trying to build bridges with, but often appear so uninterested and unwilling to engage. However, in that spirit, I have decided to go forward and continue sharing my thoughts online and in person without holding back. My goal remains to be constructive and a builder, not a destroyer. However, when one builds, this sometimes requires tearing down unhelpful narratives and structures that hinder progress and growth. Whether you are “pro-Palestine,” “pro-Israel,” “pro-Trump,” “pro-Iran, “pro-Gulf,” or anything else, the only way to defend your position and views is through evidence or logical argumentation, not emotions or mis/disinformation. My top priority right now is exposing Hamas and focusing on how they have played a horrendous role in destroying the Gaza Strip, eroding Palestinian values, decimating the Palestinian people, and proving that anyone who supports them is a hateful, anti-Palestinian fascist.