Palestinian Christian village cancels Oktoberfest
By Daoud Kuttab Sometimes the product becomes better known than the town or country of origin. This happened to the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh, whose brew was described by Time Magazine as “the beer that made Taybeh famous.” The name of the beer and the town, which means “good†in Arabic, was given to this Palestinian village by […]
Swedish decision to recognize Palestine no surprise
By Daoud Kuttab For Swedes and Palestinians who have followed Swedish foreign policy toward Palestine, the announcement in Stockholm of the government’s intention to recognize the State of Palestine came as no surprise. In his inaugural speech Oct. 3, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven explained his administration’s decision, stating, “The conflict between Israel and Palestine can […]
Creativity needed to break Israeli-Palestinian logjam
By Daoud Kuttab It might seem counterintuitive, but the current Palestinian-Israeli hostility is a healthy return to what relations between occupiers and the occupied should be. Thus far, it is largely a rhetorical escalation in hostilities, but such words often quickly become action. In this war of words, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking before the UN General Assembly, called Israeli […]
Abbas makes last-ditch effort to win Palestinian independence
By Daoud Kuttab Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is possibly making his last effort to try to bring about an independent state. The odds are against him, but he has a plan and he appears to be set to giving it his last best shot. Abbas’ speech at the UN General Assembly attempted to lay down the […]
Lingering dreams, shattered dreams
following appeared in the Jordan Times newspaper By Daoud Kuttab Barbar was publishing media reports, running her own media training centre and was active in the field of women’s rights, but the one place she literally was dreaming to go to was the occupied West Bank. Not only had she not visited other parts of […]
Palestinian Trying to Rebuild Progressive Women Radio
By Daoud Kuttab When I met Islam Barbar in a Gaza restaurant in 2012 while on a human rights mission, I was impressed with her cheerful demeanor but taken aback by the hopelessness that she felt. Although Barbar was publishing media reports, running her own media training center and active in women’s rights issues, the […]
Why is Abbas playing hardball with Hamas?
By Daoud Kuttab On paper it looks like Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his counterparts in Hamas need each other. Abbas will be unable to carry out Gaza’s reconstruction or even talk convincingly to the world about the future of Palestine without the acquiescence of the Islamists. On the other hand, Hamas cannot get a […]
Najwa Najjar’s Film Reflects Palestinian Humanity
By Daoud Kuttab The 700-seat Ramallah Cultural Palace, on whose premises is the grave of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, was overcrowded on September 9. Over 850 people packed the cinema hall to watch Najwa Najjar’s premiere of her second long feature film,Eyes of a Thief. The Palestinian filmmaker’s film follows her successful Pomegranates and Myrrh,which […]
New Palestinian film shuns stereotypes
By Daoud Kuttab The common saying that one person’s freedom fighter is another’s terrorist well describes how the world is often divided over the Palestinian resistance. One of the continuous and often angry arguments between Palestinians and Israelis concerns the form of Palestinian resistance. Israelis showcase cherry-picked acts of Palestinian violence in which Israeli civilians […]
Jewish extremists try to change status quo at Al-Aqsa
By Daoud Kuttab When Moshe Feiglin, deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset, set foot in Al-Aqsa Mosque around 10Â a.m. Sept. 14, he was on more than a tourist visit. His venture to the mosque and short prayer in the area was seen as an attempt to declare Jewish sovereignty over the Islamic holy place. It […]