Jun
30
2006
by Daoud Kuttab
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict presents a unique case study in asymmetry and arrogance of power.
The status of this conflict today positions one country, Israel, with overwhelming military, political and financial power, as well as backing from the world’s most powerful country (the US) and community (EU), against a people without an army, living under siege, with employees not paid for months and economy in shatters. With such overwhelming power Israel has no incentive to negotiate. It is very happy to dictate and the world community, by and large, goes along with that.
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Jun
16
2006
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2006 — breakthroughs, yes, but no peace
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Daoud Kuttab
At the close of last year, I was commissioned by an international NGO called Search for Common Ground to write about my expectations of the new year. United Press International ran my piece under the title “2006, year of hope”.
My piece began with this quote: “Political changes in Palestine and Israel, as well as changes in attitudes in both societies and in the international community, provide a rare glimmer of hope that important changes on the ground are a serious possibility.”
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Jun
02
2006
The need for a referendum
Daoud Kuttab
The assignment the editors at Al Quds Educational television gave their reporter seemed simple: Go out and assess the public’s reaction to the suggestion by President Mahmoud Abbas to hold a referendum based on the Palestinian prisoners’ agreement.
Normally filming vox pox (short reactions of people in the street) takes twenty minutes. This time, Numan Kabaah, who was given this assignment, found it difficult to record on video 8-10 reactions representing different points of view. After almost two hours and 20 interviews, Numan couldn’t show a single Palestinian who was opposed to the referendum. Shifting from
Rukab street
in Ramallah to
Manara Square
and closer to Al Bireh produce market, he could find no one against a plebiscite that could put an end to the ongoing controversy in
Palestine
.
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