Maher Bitar
Maher Bitar is an American government official who worked in the Obama and Biden Administrations.
Early life[edit]
In 2006, Bitar graduated from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he was on the executive board of the school's Students for Justice in Palestine.[1][2] Bitar has a Master's degree from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He studied at Georgetown Law School.[3] He has written about political organizing among Palestinian refugees.[4] His family is of Palestinian origin.[5]
Career[edit]
Bitar worked at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jerusalem.[2]
Obama Administration[edit]
Bitar is a career Department of State employee.[6] At the State Department, Bihar developed a close relationship with Jake Sullivan.[7] During the Obama Administration, Bitar worked at the National Security Council (NSC) as Director for Israel and Palestinian Affairs from 2013 to 2015.[6] From 2015 to 2017, he was Deputy to U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Samantha Power[7]
In 2017, Bitar joined the House Intelligence Committee as general counsel for the Democrats, where he played a role in the first impeachment of Donald Trump.[7] He was also legal counsel to U.S. Representative Adam Schiff.[8]
Biden Administration[edit]
At the beginning of the Biden Administration in January 2021, Bitar was appointed Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs at the NSC, succeeding Michael Ellis.[9][7] His appointment was praised by Rob Malley and Ziad Asali of the pro-Palestinian group American Task Force on Palestine.[5]
In January 2024, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan moved Bitar into a new role at the NSC as Deputy Assistant to the President and coordinator for intelligence and defense policy.[10][11] Bitar is the highest-ranking official at the White House responsible for coordinating the U.S. government's intelligence and defense policy.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ Santulli, Stephen (2006-01-13). "Students to Host Palestinian Summit". The Hoya. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ a b "A Road Less Traveled: National Security Careers After Law School – Maher Bitar". Reiss Center on Law and Security. 2021-04-05. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Maher Bitar (L'12)". www.law.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ Bitar, Maher (September 2009). "Activism among a new generation of Palestinian exiles". Forced Migration Review. 33: 54. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ a b Harris, Bryant (2021-01-24). "Arab-American lawyer involved in Trump impeachment to advise Biden on intelligence". The National. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "Maher Bitar" (PDF). Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d Bertrand, Natasha (2021-01-21). "He helped Adam Schiff impeach Trump. Now he's joining Biden's NSC". Politico. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Biden appoints Palestinian American to key intelligence role". israelhayom.com (in Kinyarwanda). 25 January 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "White House Releases State Dinner Guest List". White House. 2023-10-25. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Preview of U.S. Participation in the Third Summit for Democracy". State Department. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ Jacobs, Jennifer (2024-01-08). "White House turns to defense tech startups for help in Ukraine". LA Times. Retrieved 27 April 2024.