‘No’ to false trappings of sovereignty

One of the paradoxes of the internal conflict in

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Whither

Following is the full version of the article (parts of which were edited in the Jordan Times version) 

The Jerusalem Post Internet Edition

The end of censorship? Daoud Kuttab,

THE JERUSALEM POST Jun. 4, 2007

Quietly and without any fanfare, the decades-old censorship laws on the books in Jordan were scrapped earlier this month. The official gazette published an amendment to the regulation which ends the work of the Continue Reading »

The following article appeared in many publications as part of project syndicate. I am enclosing below its publication in the Guardian and I have added the comments made on their web site. It is interesting reading.

Civility or weakness?
Daoud Kuttab

With Gaza poised on the brink of civil war, pity poor Mahmoud Abbas, who took over as president of the Palestinian Authority two and a half years ago, after the death of Yasser Arafat. An academic by profession, Abbas has tried mightily to lead the Palestinian people with civility, adherence to democratic principles, and public disdain for violence.

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The following was written before the decision by President Abbas to dissolve the Haniyeh government and declare Emergency.   
JORDAN TIMESFailure at the top       Daoud Kuttab The test of leadership is usually at times of pressure and turmoil. So far, the Palestinian leadership has been failing miserably. It is easy to put blame in other places. Certainly the continuation of occupation for 40 years is to blame. The failure of the Oslo process can’t be discounted and the unjust siege on Palestine, especially on Gaza, certainly contributed to the turmoil.
 High expectations are also to be blamed. Palestinians had high expectations when they kicked out the Fateh movement because of historic corruption and lack of power sharing. The public had high expectations when the

Mecca agreement was signed, bringing forward the national unity government. The world community, which made many promises to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his moderate leadership failed to press the Israelis to deliver on these promises. Instead, the Israelis figured out that Abbas was weak (a position he doesn’t deny himself) and therefore felt they need not support him.  But all this doesn’t excuse a leadership that doesn’t have the courage to face its problems head-on. Abbas is a nice guy who abhorred the militarisation of the Intifada, burnt his bridges with the grassroots militants and paid little attention to the average Fateh activist. He spent most of his time meeting world leaders and travelling to world capitals. All this would have been fine had Palestine been liberated and the Gaza Strip part of the European Union. But the reality is much different and can’t be addressed with an academic discussion. Abbas has made a very important analysis of the situation. He declared that all those who carry weapons and use them are to be blamed. That sounds coming from a political analyst. A president who is the commander-in-chief-of the Palestinian armed forces need not give an analysis of the situation, he has to create and enforce policy that follows the rule of law. Yasser Arafat refused to shed his revolutionary dress because he felt that occupation was not over just because he was elected and crowned president of a non-sovereign Palestinian Authority. Although he was attacked for it, Arafat understood that he had to keep strong ties with militants even if he had to buy their allegiance. While the situation is dire, it is not without possible solutions, even though most solutions now are very difficult. The Palestinian president needs to show resolution and end his months of hesitation. Either the law reigns supreme or there is armed anarchy. If the commander-in-chief is unable to get his forces to enforce the rule of law, he has little choice but to take the obvious road and turn the keys in.  Such a decision will push the ball into the Israeli court. They have had the land without the responsibility. They are the occupiers from afar, without the need to pay the price of occupation. They will have to decide either to truly give up the occupation or to be fully responsible for its entire outcome. The Israelis have another choice as well. They can release leading moderate prisoners like Marwan Barghouthi and allow the Palestinians to be led by a tough leader who has strong grassroots support to do what is necessary to bring back the rule of law in Palestine. The world community can’t deny its responsibility in forcing the situation to reach where it reached.
 But like any serious liberation movement, the key is the public. For a long time now, the Palestinian public lost interest in either of the now major  camps (Fateh and Hamas). The courageous Palestinians in Gaza and the

West Bank who have braved the armed militants (with some paying with their lives) are the real heroes. Will this public movement last for a long time? The coming days will tell. Friday-Saturday, June 15-16, 2007 
 

By Daoud Kuttab

Both my parents were away from home on the eve of the June 1967 war and I was home alone with my younger siblings. At the time we were living near in a rented house next to Rachel’s Tomb just outside

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Under more than one kind of fire

 Daoud Kuttab

Arab journalists, more than any other journalists around the world, need security. They need physical security and economic Continue Reading »

This is the full version of the article ( an edited version appeared in the Jordan Times) 

The end of censorship?
Daoud Kuttab,

THE JERUSALEM POST  Jun. 4, 2007

Quietly and without any fanfare, the decades-old censorship laws on the books in Jordan were scrapped earlier this month. The official gazette published an amendment to the regulation which ends the work of the government censors.

The head of the department of press Continue Reading »

Who censures the censors?       Daoud Kuttab Quietly and without any fanfare, the decades-long pre-censorship laws on books in