Abbas’ new initiative
Following appeared in the Jordan Times newspaper By Daoud Kuttab “I have had it up to here,†said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the emir of Qatar and the head of Hamas. “I have had it with Hamas, with Arabs with Israel and even with Fateh.†Abbas’ words and the minutes of the meetings of […]
Will Abbas carry out threats if his peace plan is rejected?
By Daoud Kuttab When chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and the head of Palestinian intelligence Majed Farraj walked into the offices of US Secretary of State John KerryJohn Kerry on Sept. 4, they were prepared for all eventualities. For the first time in modern history, the Palestinian leadership had produced a time-based political initiative that was not dependent on […]
After Gaza, Hamas and Fatah back to bickering
By Daoud Kuttab It seems as simple as pushing a button. Palestinian-Israeli politics have shifted from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, as if the 51-day war against Gaza never happened. One week after the announcement of the permanent cease-fire by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel is back to confiscating Palestinian lands for settlements, Jewish religious zealots are infiltrating Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and Palestinian internal bickering is […]
Israel’s land grab endangers Abbas’ peace plan
By Daoud Kuttab No sooner did the war on the Gaza Strip disappear from the headlines, all the old headlines appeared. More Israeli confiscation of West Bank land reminds the Palestinians of the root of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: land. The largest land grab in 30 years announced Aug. 31 covers nearly 4,000 dunums (1.5 square miles) south of Bethlehem. […]
Coalition for Peace Must Be as Strong as Coalition to Stop Gaza War
By Daoud Kuttab After 51 horrible days, the people of Gaza, Israel and the world breathed a sigh of relief when a ceasefire agreement was announced by the Palestinian president on August 26. The impressive regional and international coalition that worked on putting a stop to this war went back to dealing with other pressing issues. Israelis […]
What is Abbas’ mystery proposal?
By Daoud Kuttab Israeli and international circles are searching for clues as to what the new Palestinian political initiative will contain. In a television interview with Egypt’s Sada al-Balad, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was planning a major political surprise that will be made known in the coming weeks. In his victory news conference in Doha, the […]
Mutual deterrence achieved between Israel, Gaza
By Daoud Kuttab The extremely harsh way in which Israel executed its war on Gaza had one basic goal: deterrence. Although Israel might have partially succeeded in its deterrence strategy, an unexpected result was born during the war: mutual deterrence. The strong and continuous Palestinian rocket response to the Israeli aggression did not cease until the very […]
Israel ignores calls to lift Gaza siege
By Daoud Kuttab Indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks under the sponsorship of the Egyptian government have collapsed, but if and when negotiations resume, they will most likely pick up where the talks left off. Despite Israeli arguments to the contrary, the 11-point Egyptian proposal appears to be closer to the Israeli point of view. The only real problem for Israel has […]
Palestinians, Europeans support reopening Rafah crossing
By Daoud Kuttab One word has been missing from the Egyptian-sponsored indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks and the various leaks about them: Rafah. The town along the Gaza-Egyptian border has become synonymous with some of the worst examples of Arabs’ indirect contribution to the illegal siege on the Gaza Strip. To be fair, Rafah is only one of six […]
Palestinian unity scores concessions from Israel in Cairo
By Daoud Kuttab The decision by the Palestinian delegation in Cairo to extend the cease-fire another five days and the statements by its head, Azzam al-Ahmad, that most issues for a permanent agreement have been resolved point to a breakthrough of sorts. Gazans appear to be on the verge of seeing the gradual lifting of a cruel […]