Ziad J. Asali

Ziad J. Asali is the president and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 2003 based in Washington, DC. Asali is a long-time activist on Middle East issues. He has been a member of the Chairman’s Council of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee since 1982 and served as its president from 2001-03. He served as the president of the Association of Arab-American University Graduates from 1993-95 and was chairman of the American Committee on Jerusalem, which he co-founded, from 1995-2003. In addition to many appearances in print and television media worldwide, Asali is a regular speaker at academic centers and international conferences about the Middle East. Asali received an MD from the American University of Beirut Medical School in 1967. Following a distinguished career in medicine, Asali has focused primarily on U.S. engagement with Palestine, including co-chairing the U.S.-Palestinian Public-Private Partnership, an initiative launched by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to promote economic and educational opportunities for the Palestinian people. He is a member of the board of directors of the Middle East Investment Initiative. He is also a member of the executive committee of A Different Future and a member of the trustees advisory council of OneVoice.