Israel Wants PA to Crack Down On Protests Over Prisoners
By Daoud Kuttab For the second time in a year, the suffering of Palestinian prisoners has touched the consciousness of Palestinians and has put the Israelis in a corner. While Palestinian politicians have been talking about a reconciliation that is spinning its wheels, or about what to say to Barack Obama, the real story is […]
Fatah and Hamas Consider Interim Agreement to Manage Split
By Daoud Kuttab While all indications, actions on the ground and public statements appear to show movement in the Palestinian national-reconciliation process, the reality is that it is still facing stumbling blocks. Palestinian leaders from Hamas and Fatah are meeting regularly. Also meeting with them are other factions (the Palestinian Liberation Organization [PLO] and Islamic Jihad) […]
Palestine Should Not Wait for Obama
By Daoud Kuttab As Palestinian political strategists are in the process of preparing for the first visit ever of President Barack Obama to the state of Palestine, new thinking is emerging. Instead of routinely preparing for a set of demands and tactical gains to be accomplished, some are worried that the visit might slow down a […]
‘Prisoner X’ Draws Attention To Palestinians in Israeli Jails
By Daoud Kuttab The issue of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, and especially those held without being charged or tried, received a publicity boost this week from an unexpected source. The revelation by Australian television of the disappearance of Ben Zygier, a dual Australian-Israeli citizen, and the accompanying self-censorship practiced by Israeli media, has once again […]
Palestinians Gain in Jordan Elections
By Daoud Kuttab Palestine was very much present in the latest elections of the 17th Jordanian parliament. But it wasn’t the way you think.  In Jordan, Palestine from a political point of view is a consensus issue. Very few people differ on the need to end the Israeli occupation and setting up a Palestinian […]
Palestinian Factions Silent On Gaza-West Bank Divide
By Daoud Kuttab The Erez checkpoint is a large, airport-like terminal with 12 passport booths, security cameras everywhere and men with guns topped with special targeting attachments. This is the crossing point into and out of the Gaza Strip from the Israeli side. When this writer crossed the checkpoint, the travelers there were a […]
How best to celebrate World Radio Day
By Daoud Kuttab February 13th has been declared by the United Nations Education and Science Organisation (UNESCO) as World Radio Day. In addition to traditional public statements and protocol activities there are some concrete things that can be done to help make the world a better place to live in with help of radio. Radio is […]
Islamic Jihad: Yes to PLO, No to PA
Daoud Kuttab With the bulk of the Palestinian reconciliation effort being focused on Hamas and Fatah, little attention has been paid to other nationalist and Islamic factions that compose the Palestinian movement. One of these factions is Islamic Jihad, a militant nationalist movement that has adopted Islam politically rather than religiously. Unlike Hamas — which believes […]
Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Would Be a Reset for PLO
By Daoud Kuttab A liberation organization was established in the early summer of 1964. Since then it has gone through shifts of ideological direction as well as leadership changes. Change is expected again. With support and encouragement from the Arab League, the Palestine Liberation Organization was established with the goal to liberate Palestine and to ensure […]
Palestinian Revolutionary Seeks First Visit to Homeland
By Daoud Kuttab Officials in the Palestine Liberation Organization have confirmed that the leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) — currently based in Syria — is asking once more for a chance to come to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Nayef Hawatmeh, born in the Jordanian city of Salt in 1938, has led […]