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A Resounding Public Support for Palestine Around the World
By Daoud Kuttab Politicians holding down the floodgates against a public display of support for the state of Palestine were embarrassed in recent weeks. As soon as these political gatekeepers allowed their rank and file to express their positions, tremendous backing came for Palestine and its people. This happened in the British House of Commons,…
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On the International Day for Solidarity with the Palestinian People
By Daoud Kuttab In 1977, the UN General Assembly declared November 29 the international day for solidarity with Palestine. Last year, the UN secretary general added to this, declaring 2014 the international year for solidarity with the Palestinian people.. As we observe one day and almost the end of the year, the two dates appear…
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Israel’s nationality bill threatens agreement with PLO
By Daoud Kuttab When former Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and President Mahmoud Abbas, as representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), held secret talks with members of Israel’s Labor Party in 1993, they were dealing with a secular political party that headed a coalition also including non-Zionist religious parties. When Yasser Arafat, as chairman of the…
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Jailed Palestinian leader calls for armed resistance
By Daoud Kuttab For the 23rd time since his arrest in 2002, Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti was transferred to an isolated cell in the Israeli Hadarim prison. The Israeli press said that the punishment was due to a letter smuggled out of prison by the Palestinian leader and published in the largest Palestinian newspaper. In…
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Obama says no plans to remove Assad
By Daoud Kuttab Obama clarifies Assad policy Speaking to reporters at G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia on November 16, US President Barack Obama dismissed reports of pending changes in Syria policy, saying “We have not had a comprehensive review of Syria. We’ve had a comprehensive review of what are we doing each and every week 
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Could Israel’s policies pave way for an intifada?
By Daoud Kuttab In the early months of the first intifada, Palestinians waited for the underground leadership’s directions, which came out in a numbered statement that was quickly distributed by fax throughout the occupied territories. The leaflet, Bayan al-intifada, came to be regularly issued by what was known as the Unified National Command of the…
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The ‘Battle for Jerusalem’: It Is Personal
By Daoud Kuttab It is not clear whether Israeli prime minister’s portrayal of the latest violence as the battle of Jerusalem was a description of what was happening or an electoral wish. Whatever the case, the results of the “battle for Jerusalem”, if it is that, will certainly be different from what Israelis predict. One…
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Tense calm continues at Al-Aqsa
By Daoud Kuttab Driving from Bethlehem to Jerusalem on Nov. 13 , the 10 a.m. news report on Jordan radio was reassuring. After noting the meeting among King Abdullah, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it announced that all had agreed to soothe tensions in Jerusalem and that entry…
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Elements for third Palestinian intifada present
By Daoud Kuttab One of the most often repeated themes littering political discussions and commentary by pundits in Israel and Palestine involves when the next intifada will take place. The repeated failure to predict it shows that no one can foresee what combination of issues and actions might produce the collective popular protests that have…
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My First Interview with Yasser Arafat
By Daoud Kuttab In the spring of 1994 I had the privilege of having an exclusive interview with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was still in Tunis at the time and the interview was arranged for me by three local West Bank leaders I knew, Marwan Barghouti, Jibril…