All systems are on go for Palestine’s march to the UN
By Daoud Kuttab If anyone outside Palestine had doubts that the Palestinian Authority was hesitant about going to the UN to request the recognition of Palestine as a full member, a trip to Ramallah would quickly put an end to this scepticism. Ramallah’s hotels are full of members of the Palestine Central Council (the second […]
Why did the uniformed police attack the press?
By Daoud Kuttab The violent attacks by uniformed policemen last Friday on journalists dressed in bright orange vests (provided to them by the police to distinguish them from protesters) continues to baffle many. The Jordanian authorities were clearly opposed to the demonstration planned for the Nakheel Park near downtown Amman. They were afraid that the […]
Jordan’s Hills Come Alive With the Sound of Christian Music
Daoud Kuttab The hills of Ajloun came alive this summer with the sound of the internationally renown Christian singerLydia Shadid. Instead of their regular conference program, music was the main focus of the annual Amman Baptist Church’s summer conference this year. Shadid, a Syrian-Lebanese singer who now lives in Texas, mesmerized the 100 strong […]
Jordan crossing heats up
By Daoud Kuttab The religious men and women patiently clutching their water jugs on July 10, waiting in line at the Israeli border crossing looked like the average Palestinian. They had been to Mecca for Umra, the lesser pilgrimage to the Muslim holy places. What was different in this group of Palestinians was that they […]
The Casino reports’ Other revelations
The Jordanian public has been mesmerized these past weeks with the casino case debate in parliament, in which senior government officials have been charged with a variety of administrative errors and crimes. The 70-page detailed report faults 33 individuals, including the prime minister, with wrongdoing. But while the parliament and country have been focused on the actions […]
Going to the UN is a nonviolent Palestinian alternative to failed negotiations
Israelis government officials and probably half of the Israeli population seem to be dead set against Palestinians going to the UN. The Palestinian attempt for full membership in the UN is called “an attempt to delegitimize Israel,†a “unilateral act’ a  “crimeâ€Â  and even ‘a declaration of war’ against Israel.