27-Nov-19: The Washington Institute has a response. Not to us, but yes: a response.

From today's Jewish Insider mailer

If you have followed the irritating and troubling way the Washington Institute for Near East Policy honored Jordan's king a week ago while simply ignoring the polite and relevant -- and even important -- comments we sent them and published, then you may be interested in their somewhat delayed response.   

No, they didn't respond to us. Neither today nor ever. 

We see that as being self-evidently shabby and counter to their professed values. It really speaks for itself.

But that's not our focus.

Today, a journalist whom we approached at Jewish Insider published a brief summary of what we have been saying about the Washington Institute's choice of honoree and then asked its executive director to react.

Which he did.

Here's the text as published some hours ago in a longer piece under the headline "INTERVIEW | Washington Institute’s Rob Satloff on honoring King Abdullah II" in Jewish Insider's Daily Kickoff mailer to its subscribers:

Pointed criticism: Arnold and Frimet Roth, the parents of U.S.-born [sic] Malki Roth — who was killed in the 2001 terror attack at the Sbarro's pizzeria in Jerusalem — penned an op-ed criticizing The Washington Institute’s decision to honor the Hashemite ruler. The Roths argued that the Jordanian king shouldn’t be feted while he refuses to extradite Ahlam Tamimi — a Jordanian national convicted for her role in the Sbarro bombing and freed in the Gilad Shalit deal — to face U.S. federal charges. 

Satloff’s response: “I am very proud of hosting the King of Jordan, who has steadfastly remained committed to the Jordan-Israel peace treaty throughout the 20 years on the throne and has been an important partner with the U.S. on a broad range of security and strategic matters throughout the Middle East. I have great sympathy for the issue that [the Roths] raised and believe it deserves high-level engagement by the appropriate American authorities with the appropriate Jordanian authorities. It is one important item on a lengthy agenda of bilateral relations.”

He has "great sympathy for the issue" which might mean something sincere and human and (bearing in mind that he hasn't in reality given us so much as the time of day) might not. But really, the head of the Washington Institute seems to be saying, the Roths' concern isn't our concern. It's other people's.

Got it, Dr Satloff.

As parents of a murdered American citizen whose confessed killer is the subject of a years-long effort by the FBI and the Department of Justice to have her extradited to Washington, there's room to wonder how your personal viewpoint as resident Jordan expert at your workplace (and its long-time executive head as well) fits its mission statement

"...to articulate a coherent and realistic view of U.S. national interests..."

One of the last photos we have of Malki, from

a 2001 family celebration

More than that: it's startling to realize that the murder of several US women by a big-mouthed, remarkably upbeat and enthusiastic Islamist Jordanian is so far outside your interpretation of your own raison d'etre that you're fine with lavishly honoring the autocrat who keeps her safe and out of US clutches.

While pointedly ignoring us, the grieving and justice-minded parents of one of her innocent victims.

We will leave the figuring out of all this to others. Bottom line: sometimes it helps just to know how influential and ostensibly thoughtful people actually think.

But it's nonetheless a shame (that's an apt word in this context) that the troubling questions about honor, justice and decency we raised here and about which you are utterly silent remain unanswered. And seem likely to stay that way.