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Iran Deal Could Help Palestinian Cause
By Daoud Kuttab The Palestinian-Israeli conflict might get an unexpected shot in the arm as a result of the recently concluded Iran nuclear agreement. While the P5+1 talks in Vienna focused only on the issue of Iran’s nuclear capability, many are looking for how this agreement will effect regional conflicts. Some of the harshest critics…
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Why is Israel trying to shut down this Palestinian TV station?
By Daoud Kuttab When writer-lawyer Sabri Jiryis wrote in 1968 his research about the 165,000 non-Jews that remained in their country when Israel was created in 1948, he called his book “The Arabs in Israel.† For many years, the national identity of non-Jewish Arab citizens of Israel has been in flux. They are usually called…
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Palestinian leadership faces foggy future
By Daoud Kuttab The June 30 decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was swift, but the meaning and ramifications of it might be long lasting. The secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee, Yasser Abed Rabbo, was relieved of his role and later replaced by another executive committee member, Saeb Erekat, based on Abbas’ request. News…
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The Palestinian leadership crisis
Following appeared in the Jordan Times Newspaper By Daoud Kuttab The political black hole that the Arab Israeli conflict has entered and the ageing Palestinian leader forced again the discussion of what will happen in the post-Abbas era. Two news items recently pointed to the succession crisis in the Palestinian leadership: the sudden removal of…
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To defuse tension about Al Aqsa
Following appeared in the Jordan Times Newspaper By Daoud Kuttab Despite the lack of a political horizon in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one area that appears to witness a de-escalation of tensions might be Al Aqsa Mosque. According to a just-released comprehensive report by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, Jordan and Israel are close to an…
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New report outlines Al-Aqsa Mosque recommendations
By Daoud Kuttab The status of Islam’s third-holiest site, Al-Aqsa Mosque, has been the subject of many academic and research efforts, most of them with an ideological bias. Israeli Jews consider the site of utmost importance to them and most research associated with Israel reflects this view. Some right-wing Israelis often try to stir up other Jews…
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What’s behind Israel’s easing of travel restrictions?
By Daoud Kuttab When Mohammad Badarneh made it to Jerusalem, he was in awe. He spent hours walking the streets of the Old City, praying at Islam’s third holiest site, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, while posting pictures of what he saw on hisFacebook page. Badarneh, who hails from the…
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Palestinian independence should start on the economic front
Following appeared in the Jordan Times newspaper By Daoud Kuttab The absence of a political horizon has strengthened Palestinians’ attempts to reach a different form of independence. Failure on the political front made them work on a more doable idea: to empower Gaza and the West Bank economically through improving trade with their natural Arab…
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Hanan Ashrawi: US must act quickly to save two-state solution
By Daoud Kuttab Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi blasted Israeli attempts to pre-empt the UN report on the Gaza Strip, saying that they’re trying to control the narrative. “They are trying to create a misleading and fabricated narrative so people can react to it,†Ashrawi told Al-Monitor.  The senior Palestinian official said…
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UN envoy Mladenov: Absence of political process ‘dangerous’
By Daoud Kuttab The UN’s recently appointed Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov has sounded a strong warning about the absence of any political process. In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Mladenov spoke of the need for the new Israeli government to make a move for peace, calling the current status quo “ultimately untenable.†The peace envoy…