Obama is First US President in Office who Speaks of the Suffering of Palestinian Christians
“It is undeniable that the Palestinian people- Muslim and Christians- have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation, Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and neighboring lands of a life of peace and security that they have never been able […]
Obama-Abbas: it starts with settlements
Daoud Kuttab AMMAN – The main conclusion emerging from the Obama-Abbas meeting last week is that the United States continues to be dead serious about its demand that Israel immediately freeze all settlement activities. Considering all the hot button topics, some might argue that issues of withdrawal, Jerusalem, and the Palestinian right of return, ought […]
To rebuild trust
An Arab proverb says that a madman throws a stone in a drinking well and 100 wise men are needed to get the stone out. This proverb applies to the gigantic effort that US President Barack Obama will have to exert as he attempts to clean up the mess his predecessor created in the Arab […]
what should Obama tell Muslims (my Washington post comment)
Muslims and Arabs would like to hear a lot from President Obama, starting with Palestine, Iraq and the U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf. While foreign policy is crucial, a sincere show of respect and attempt to rebuild trust are more important. Palestine has become the litmus test for U.S. foreign policy because it […]
Why a Jewish Settlement Freeze Has Become the Defining Issue
The demand by the Obama administration for the Israelis to fully and completely freeze all settlement activities has become a point of contention between the US and Israel for a number of reasons. Jewish settlements built on lands occupied by Israel in 1967 is considered by the international community to be totally illegal and in […]
Second round in a long bout
By Daoud Kuttab The long-awaited Obama-Netanyahu meeting has finally taken place. If this were a boxing match, one would probably have to call the result of the latest round at the White House a tie. A look at the post-summit transcripts shows that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stuck to his hardline position, refusing to […]
Arabs in Palestine and Jordan predate Christianity and Islam
May. 12, 2009 Daoud Kuttab , THE JERUSALEM POST The visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Jordan and Palestine is a perfect opportunity to review and stress the role of Christian Arabs in the peace process and their strong support for peace with justice. To begin with, it is important for all to know that […]
It’s not up to Israelis to determine status of Palestine
by Daoud Kuttab As the summit between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches, most of the discussion has focused on whether or not the newly elected Israeli leader will finally say that he backs a two-state solution. This is the wrong approach. Israelis should not determine the status of the […]
How to create genuine narrative By Daoud Kuttab The film won Arab and international praise for its courage in tackling some of Palestine’s more difficult issues. But the hardest and most obnoxious reviewers were back at home. The fiction movie is Najwa Najjar’s “Pomegranates and Myrrhâ€, which opened the Dubai International Film Festival, Rotterdam, Sundance […]
The right to free movement
Following appeared in the Jordan Times The right to free movement By Daoud Kuttab In observing decades-old conflicts, political spin takes overrides reality. Facts are often replaced by claims and counterclaims leaving a neutral observer confused as to who is wrong and who is right. Sometimes, a new story is much more revealing than the […]