Meet the minister of Jerusalem
Daoud Kuttab For the first time in Palestinian history, Jerusalem has a minister: Khaled Abu Arafeh, a businessman from East Jerusalem who worked as a mechanical engineer until he took over the family hardware store just off Salah Eddine street. This is not to say that Palestinians didn’t pay attention to their declared capital […]
The Hamas Priorities
Hamas has a government, so now what? By Daoud Kuttab Having just formed a Palestinian government, Hamas seems to be clutching to the Biblical verses in Ecclesiastes rather than the desires of the “Quartet” (the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations) charged with trying to bridge the Israeli-Palestinian divide. “To everything […]
Ramallah- Amman trip costs two Hundred dollars
By Daoud Kuttab March 9, 2006 I paid through my nose this week to get from Ramallah to Amman and the bridge wasn’t crowded like in the summer time. It all started when I had to make an appointment at 2pm in Ramallah. The meeting went till 2:30 and by the time I took a […]
Women’s Day in Palestine
By Daoud Kuttab While Palestinians have regularly celebrated the International Women’s Day on March 8, celebrations this year had a different taste. The victory of the conservative Islamic movement Hamas has reinvigorated Palestinian civil society in general and the women’s movement in particular. This year’s pro-women march in Ramallah, which ended with a meeting […]
The wings of change
By Daoud Kuttab On the surface, the landslide victory of Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement, in Palestinian legislative elections in January has not reflected directly on democracy in Jordan or the wider Arab world. But there is no doubt this political earthquake will eventually be considered an important milestone by Arab democracy activists.
Middle East democracy should focus on variations of Islamic parties
Daoud Kuttab I am an enthusiastic supporter of President George Bush’s (anybody else’s, for that matter) mission to spread democracy. I would argue, as Bush has done, that this is the most natural yearning of all peoples. My problem is that the US and its lead regional ally seem to stop short of their zeal […]
The Palestinian vote will test all involved
The following appeared in the American paper Newsday BY DAOUD KUTTAB February 6, 2006 The victory of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas in the Palestinian legislative elections should not cause panic in Western capitals. It is the natural result of the push for democracy in the Mideast and the failure of governance and transparency in […]
Palestine after the elections
The following appeared in the Jordan Times Daoud Kuttab The results of the Palestinian elections continue to reverberate throughout the occupied territories, with a surprising positive reaction even from many liberal circles. With some of the information about the campaign and the mood of the Palestinians becoming known, it is clear that connecting the Palestinian […]
An Open Letter to Ehud Olmert
An open letter to Ehud Olmert ——————————————————————————– Daoud Kuttab, THE JERUSALEM POST Jan. 11, 2006 —————————————————————————— Dear Mr. Olmert – I am writing you in the hope that you will take time from your busy schedule as Israel’s acting prime minister to hear one Palestinian’s hopes. Even though your ascension to the position of prime […]
2006-the year of hope
By DAOUD KUTTAB RAMALLAH, West Bank, Jan. 8 (UPI) — Political changes in Palestine and Israel, as well as changes in attitudes in both societies and in the international community, provide a rare glimmer of hope that important changes on the ground are a serious possibility.