The attack on Lebanon has produced strange Role Reversals
By Daoud Kuttab The irony to the present Israeli Lebanese war is in its role reversals. Hizbullah which is called by Israel and the US a terrorist organization acted more and more like a traditional army, and Israel which prides itself with its military is acting more like a terrorist state. Militarily Hizbullah has […]
PERSPECTIVE NARRATIVES
Daoud Kuttab After 50 years of fighting, Palestinians and Israelis seem to have finally found the one thing that can really get the other side really angry. This became clear this week when the Israelis went berserk because of their inability to return their captured soldier and ordinary Palestinians felt completely helpless to stop the […]
The problem with arrogance
By Daoud Kuttab The Palestinian-Israeli conflict presents a unique case study in asymmetry and arrogance of power. The status of this conflict today positions one country, Israel, with overwhelming military, political and financial power, as well as backing from the world’s most powerful country (the US) and community (EU), against a people without an army, […]
2006 – Breakthroughs yes, but no peace
By Daoud Kuttab Jerusalem. – At the close of last year, I was commissioned by an international NGO called Search for Common Ground to write about my expectations of the new year. United Press International ran my piece under the title “2006, year of hopeâ€. My piece began with this quote: “Political changes in Palestine […]
The need for a referendum
Daoud Kuttab The assignment the editors at Al Quds Educational television gave their reporter seemed simple: Go out and assess the public’s reaction to the suggestion by President Mahmoud Abbas to hold a referendum based on the Palestinian prisoners’ agreement. Normally filming vox pox (short reactions of people in the street) takes twenty minutes. This […]
Who will pave the Qalandia road?
Daoud Kuttab Until a few days ago, the sign stood majestically on the broken up Ramallah-Jerusalem road near the Qalandia refugee camp. With the USAID logo and the motto “Gift from the American People”, the sign informed all travelling on this congested and totally broken up 19th century artery that will soon become a proper […]
Solution for Hamas- Focus on local issues
by  Daoud Kuttab For 39 years of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, Palestinians have been able to survive through a variety of mechanisms. Being under occupation, Palestinians were able to discover ways to beat the system. Before the Palestinian Authority was established, non-governmental organisations created a state-like infrastructure that dealt with people’s needs.
AmmanNet wins Gold Medal from Pan Arab Media Awards
AmmanNet, the Arab world’s first Internet radio station, won the gold medal at the 2006 Pan Arab Media Awards. The ceremony, in its second year was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Thursday April 28. The first award ceremony was held in . The registered Awards is supported by the Arab League. The awards […]
Hamas’ predicament — partly political naiveté?
By Daoud Kuttab Two months before the Palestinian election, I met in Ramallah with Hassan Yousef, a senior West Bank leader of Hamas. Talking to him before he began an interview on our Ramallah TV station about the upcoming elections, Yousef told me that it would be wrong for Hamas to win more than 25 […]
Negotiation alternatives
By Daoud Kuttab Although it appears that the political stalemate continues on the Palestinian-Israeli front, a possible breakthrough seems closer than in the past. Various pieces of the puzzle appear to be falling into place following the Palestinian and Israeli elections.