Palestinians concerned about new Israeli NGO law
By Daoud Kuttab Susan Jaber says her life changed four years ago when she began volunteering with the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem. “When they gave me a camera and I began using it, the level of harassment and attacks by settlers and soldiers went down a lot,†Jaber told Al-Monitor.  Jaber, 39, lives in […]
THE FALSE BALANCE BETWEEN THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION AND PALESTINIAN ‘INCITEMENT’
By Daoud Kuttab One of the lessons professional journalists have learned over the years is that objectivity and balance can sometimes be wrongly used. If, as a journalist, you are witnessing rain, you are not obliged to report that one side says it is raining and the other side says it is not. You have […]
What really delayed UNESCO vote on Jerusalem?
By Daoud Kuttab Despite the Israelis’ initial claims that their efforts have partially succeeded in shelving a pro-Palestinian vote at UNESCO, the story that is emerging now is quite different. Palestinian and Arab officials say the delay in the vote that had been planned for July 20 in Istanbul was postponed due to the failed coup attempt in Turkey. Omar […]
Palestine’s need for strategic media help
By Daoud Kuttab The story was totally false, but that didn’t stop the Israeli media machine from milking it all the way. The postponement of a UNESCO resolution slamming Israel for the dangers it is causing to Jerusalem’s heritage was termed as a “partial victory†for Israel. The Israeli prime minister and the Israeli hasbara […]
The New Arab Censors
By Daoud Kuttab AMMAN – The Internet has proved to be a powerful tool for overcoming media restrictions and censorship worldwide. But new restrictions on Web-based news media, such as those in Jordan, threaten to reverse the progress that the Internet has enabled. For example, the tendency of Arab countries’ media to discuss issues concerning […]
‘No military solution’ say Israeli, Palestinian ex-fighters
By Daoud Kuttab The request for a travel permit seemed terribly innocent. An international filmmaker was debuting a film about Israeli and Palestinian peace activists and wanted the Palestinian activist to be present at the premier in West Jerusalem. But the Israeli authorities denied Shifa al-Qudsi‘s request.  In an interview with Al-Monitor, Qudsi expressed perplexity, though she wasn’t totally […]
‘We want water’ say Bethlehem area protesters
By Daoud Kuttab “We haven’t had water for nearly 40 days,†a caller to the Voice of Palestine radio station told the presenter of the show July 8. The caller lives in the picturesque village of Artas, southwest of Bethlehem, which is known for its fertile land and imposing monastery. Residents of the village are […]
False balance helps no one
By Daoud Kuttab One of the lessons professional journalists have learned over the years is that objectivity and balance can sometimes be wrongly used. If, as a journalist, you are witnessing rain, you are not obliged to report that one side says it is raining and the other side says it is not. You have […]
DON’T BLAME PALESTINIAN MEDIA FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION
By Daoud Kuttab When the international community recently slammed Israel’s illegal settlement activities, Israel’s Prime Minister responded that the problem is not settlements but Palestinian incitement. Benjamin Netanyahu also has rejected that Israeli troops controlling Palestinian lands are an occupational force, again insisting that the real problem is Palestinian schools books and tv stations inciting […]
We must all admit, it’s the occupation
By Daoud Kuttab Every psychologists or substance advisor will tell you that you can’t deal with disease or an addiction or any other problem without first recognizing that there is a problem. The same applies to the decades old Middle East conflict. The conflict has long passed the stage of being focused entirely about Israel’s […]