Is Palestinian Media A Special Case?
By Daoud Kuttab The official title of the first conference of its kind at An Najah university on April 28 was “The Palestinian Media in Light of Changes in the Arab World.” But a more appropriate title for the proceedings of the one-day event at Palestine’s largest university would have been “Whether Palestinian Journalists and the Palestine […]
Imbalance of Power Aids Israeli Occupation
By Daoud Kuttab It is not clear whether Salam Fayyad uttered these exact terms, but what the New York Times’ Roger Cohen quoted the outgoing Palestinian prime minister as having said resonated with many Palestinians. Frustrated as to the lack of progress after 46 years of occupation, Palestinians are ready to find any scapegoat to pour all their frustrations on. The statement […]
Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound Unrest Threatens Israel-Jordan Diplomacy
By Daoud Kuttab Sometimes the best way to gauge reactions to a particular action is to look away from it. The reactions of the Jordanian parliament and government on Wednesday, May 8, to Israel’s decisions regarding Al-Aqsa mosque is a prime example. Jordan, one of two Arab countries that has signed a peace agreement […]
Report Calls for New EU Approach To Israel, Peace Process
By Daoud Kuttab Europe, Israel’s No. 1 trading partner, is once again trying to rethink its Israel policies in light of the latter’s failure to facilitate the two-state solution. The European Council for Foreign Relations (ECFR) has issued a powerful document aimed at guiding member states in dealing with Israel, Palestinians and Arabs. Entitled […]
Fatah Would Accept Land Swaps With Israel
By Daoud Kuttab The statement made by the Qatari prime and foreign minister in Washington in favor of adding a clause to the Arab Peace Initiative allowing for “land swaps”  caught many off guard and drew a largely negative reaction in Palestinian and Arab circles. On the surface, the statement by Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr […]
Bethlehem Nun Calls For Bridges, Not Walls
By Daoud Kuttab After a seven-year legal battle, the Silesian nuns convent located in the Palestinian town of Beit Jala lost an appeal on April 24 against the building of the Israeli wall on its land. The latest route of the wall will place the convent on the Palestinian side of the wall, and its companion Cremisan Catholic […]
Mohammed Assaf Carries Palestinian Hopes
By Daoud Kuttab When Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad broke his silence following the acceptance by President Mahmoud Abbas of his resignation, the topic he chose to discuss was not overtly political. Using his Facebook page, Salam Fayyad wrote the following words: “I call on all Palestinians to support the Palestinian artistMohammed Assaf, who is […]
Israeli Racism Codified by Law
By Daoud Kuttab The state of Israel prides itself on being a democratic state in which all its citizens are treated equally under the law. Yet a closer examination shows the strange and convoluted ways in which laws are used to defend some clearly racist practices. A case in point is the practice of […]