By Daoud Kuttab One of the problems of political negotiations without a clear reference point is that the parties, especially the stronger party, can change the rules of the game at will. And the absence of a neutral referee on the field allows such a strong party to get away with regularly moving the…

  By Daoud Kuttab Throughout the ages, political leaders have used sports as a tool to unify a nation and to provide the people with a sense of nationalistic pride. The case of Palestine is no different. Despite years of indifference by the Palestinian leadership, few Palestinians will disagree that sports received a huge boost…

  By Daoud Kuttab The possibility of the return of former Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan to Palestine appears to have improved in recent months. Fatah sources told Al-Monitor that Palestinian Authority President and Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has softened his stance toward the former member of Fatah’s Central Committee. The sources, however, cautioned against early celebrations by…

  By Daoud Kuttab It seems like an old, scratchy record: Everyone seems to know what to do and what to say. It first started with disinformation followed by governmental maneuvering and ended with a government decision. Now all that everyone is waiting for is the expiration of the mandatory 48 hours. The issue is…

  By Daoud Kuttab The voter turnout rates tell the story. Israel held elections on Oct. 22 for all its cities and communities as well as for what Israel calls “united Jerusalem.” While the overall national voter turnout rate was 51%, the variation between Arab towns in Israel and Jerusalem were the largest. The largest Palestinian…

  By Daoud Kuttab It has been said that history is written by the victors. If that is the case, then the reporters guide to language use in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict soon to be released might reflect that there are no winners in this decades-old struggle. IPI will issue a press release on the booklet tomorrow, Oct….

This appeared in today’s Jordan Times.Palestinians again boycott Jerusalem municipal pollsBy Daoud Kuttab | Oct 23, 2013Once again Palestinians living in Jerusalem have made a powerful political statement about the future of the holy city by staying away from the municipal polls. Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported that Palestinians avoided the elections of what Israelis…

  By Daoud Kuttab The Mediterranean island of Malta has a colorful history in the region. Malta has been described as an open-air museum. Tourists visiting the island can retrace the footsteps of St. Paul or see where the Knights of St. John fought their most famous battles. Many crusade missions to Palestine began on this island, and…

  By Daoud Kuttab The four-minute video and 13 photos posted on the website of the Palestine News Network tells the story vividly. Members of various diplomatic missions to Palestine joined Palestinians in picking olives. The exercise was no simple picnic or an innocent act of voluntary work. It was another visible manifestation of the major problem…