This week on Word on the Street, Ilan spoke with Alia Awadallah, a Palestinian American who served in the Biden Administration, and Rebecca Abou-Chedid, a Lebanese American who has spent her career working in Arab American advocacy and Middle East policy.

For too long, there’s been a real imbalance in Washington. I remember when there could be five Jewish voices at the policymaking table on Israel-Palestine for every one Arab or Palestinian voice. We talked about whether that’s finally changing, and what it means when the people with the deepest lived experience have too often been overlooked.

We also talked about the attacks Arab and Palestinian American government officials face, including from parts of the Jewish community, and the impossible (and hypocritical) expectation to constantly defend their identities, politics and motives.

The biggest takeaway? These are exactly the voices Washington needs at the table. Voices that bring a fuller and more comprehensive perspective to a policy debate that has too often treated Palestinians and Arabs as an afterthought.