Mohammad Rashid: the Ugly rich man of Palestine
The Korean based Magazine Asia Network has chosen Mohammad Rashid as one of the many businessmen from Asia that have been profiled for its special edition entitled “Ugly Businessmen of Asia”. Daoud Kuttab* was asked to write a profile on Mr. Rashid. In the aftermath of the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords, Palestine witnessed […]
How should Palestinian celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem?
Danny Qumsieh has been working hard this Christmas season to raise money so that Bethlehem’s only local radio station can continue in its tradition of covering the holiday events. As manager of the radio station he was frustrated that he was unable to find commercial sponsors because of the devastating economic situation due to the […]
The Bridge policy needs to be revisited
What began as a Jordanian temporary procedure aimed at averting the possibility of mass Palestinian, is turning into an uncontrollable policy that is souring Jordanian-Palestinian relations. For nearly a year now Jordan has imposed tight measures on the crossing of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip into Jordan. The King Hussein Bridge on […]
Time to Break the Cycle of Violence
Palestinians might differ considerably over what is the best way to resist the Israeli occupation. Some might argue for nonviolent resistance while others insist that only violent resistance will eventually lead to the exit of the occupational forces. Some Palestinians argue that anti Israeli attacks must be limited to the occupied West Bank and Gaza […]
In the U.S., little attention is paid to the Middle East
I have spent the past two weeks in a private visit to the U.S. During this visit I tried to observe what the average Americans notices regarding the Middle East and have come up with the conclusion that very little attention is paid to the region. Two issues did come up in the media during […]
Who is really interested in the welfare of Jerusalem?
I am a Jerusalemite and I love the city. But I am sick and tired of all the people who pretend to be interested in the city by their lip service but not by their action. I say this because it seems that we are again in the annual Jerusalem season. The routine has become […]
Good Governance and Arab Journalists’ Unions*
Ever since I started working as a journalist, I have been a member of the Palestinian Journalist’s Union. For us in Palestine during the early 1980s when I began my journalism career, the idea of professional unions was considered part of the struggle. It was considered by many as part of the nation building efforts […]
The Third Intifada
The time was almost midnight on September 20th when a number of the satellite stations interrupted their regular programming to announce that Israeli soldiers had warned Palestinians living near Arafat’s headquarters that the building would be blown up in 15 minutes if those inside it didn’t come out.
Towards a proactive Palestinian negotiating position
Perhaps one should not give too much weight to the off-the-cuff remarks made by Palestinian President Yasser Arafat during his speech to the Palestinian Legislative Council, but its importance should not be overlooked either. When he came to the paragraph about the independence of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, Arafat diverted from the prepared […]
Who wants quiet in Mideast
An argument has been raging for some time as to which party in the Middle East conflict is more interested in peace and quiet. Israel claims that it wants peace and stability, that it made what it calls a generous offer for peace and that all they got in return was suicide attacks. Palestinians insist […]