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France’s President disappoints Palestinians
By Daoud Kuttab France has always been a country that cares first and foremost about itself, which is normal, but sometimes it is so calculating that it comes across as not caring and spineless. France is a huge economic exporter to the Arab world. Its wheat and military exports to Saudi Arabia and the Arab world are…
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France charm offensive alienates Palestinians
By Daoud Kuttab For years, France has been a source of fascination for Palestinians and Arabs for its courage to take positions that run contrary to those of many in Europe and the United States. Palestinians still vividly remember the 1996 visit by former French President Jacques Chirac, when Israeli soldiers insisted on accompanying him to one…
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No end in sight for Gaza crisis
By Daoud Kuttab Once again, the fate of Gaza is gaining importance as the failure of Palestinian reconciliation, coupled with the deep rift between Hamas and the new Egyptian rulers, is being felt by every Palestinian in the Gaza Strip. The high-profile military parade by Islamists in Gaza on Nov. 14 shows that Hamas continues…
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Palestinians play resignation card to protest Israeli settlements
B y Daoud Kuttab Ever since the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks began this summer, Palestinian negotiators have found themselves without one of their strongest negotiating weapons: the ability to walk out of the talks. The current peace talks began without the Israelis agreeing on two basic conditions: the suspension of settlement building in Palestinian areas…
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Decentralisation has benefits
Following appeared in today’s Jordan Times By Daoud Kuttab The never-ending search for an appropriate democratic model in Jordan continues without any result. Popular protests sped up the debate while the current retraction of protests appears to have delayed this process. Nothing appears to have stunted participatory democracy more than the current status of Jordanian…
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Will US cave to Netanyahu again?
By Daoud Kuttab Allies don’t usually criticize each other in public. But this is exactly what happened between Israel and the United States. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly attacked each other regarding the two issues that the United States has said are its top foreign policy priorities in the…
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Palestinians want to know who killed Arafat
By Daoud Kuttab Few Palestinians were surprised when a Swiss lab showed that the remains of late Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat contained a high quantity of polonium. No protests are expected and nothing seems different outside the Palestinian headquarters in Ramallah. Arafat spent his last days at those headquarters in Palestine before being taken, dressed…
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Bethlehem at the heart of Palestinian affairs
By Daoud Kuttab The Palestinian town of Bethlehem found itself this week in the heart of high-powered Palestinian political discussions and debates. Residents of the city where Christianity began felt the change that included a five-day stay in town by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a visit of Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski (Nov. 5) and meetings with…
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Licensing AmmanNet’s News Website
By Daoud Kuttab News websites in Jordan have been shaken up ever since the Abdullah Ensour government decided to enforce a controversial law that forces websites that deal with Jordanian news and commentary to obtain a licence, like the newspapers. Unlike the audiovisual law, by equating news websites to newspapers, the legislature has created an unusual…
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Finding unifying goals in Palestine
Following appeared in Jordan Times By Daoud Kuttab Inhabitants of a Palestinian village were told in the late 1930s that the British High Commissioner for Palestine wanted to visit them. As news of the cause for that request was made known, the Palestinian villagers found themselves divided. Some, mostly older people, were happy about the…