G8 Fails to Mention ‘Occupation’ Or ‘Settlements’
By Daoud Kuttab “We agreed that all relevant parties must work urgently for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. We support a two-state solution with an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbors. We call for the necessary […]
Preparing for the worst possibility
Following appeared in today’s Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab | Jun 19, 2013 | 23:33 War is a terrible thing with extremely bad results. But this does not mean people should not be ready for it, even if such a possibility is very remote. Washington’s decision to arm the Syrian rebels (albeit lightly) and the […]
Music Festival Revives Hope For Tourism in Bethlehem
By Daoud Kuttab Music and art festivals are common occurrences in the summer the world over. But the Bet Lahem Live festival held in Bethlehem this week had a higher calling: mixing music and entertainment with the need to strengthen the steadfastness of Palestinians and a special focus on Palestinian Christians. The Bet Lahem festival organized by the Holy Land Trust, […]
US Needs to Link Peace Process, Syria
By Daoud Kuttab Contrary to what many believe, the possibility of US intervention in the Syrian crisis will undoubtedly increase US pressure on Israel to solve the Palestinian conflict. The decision by the Barack Obama administration on June 13 to inform Congress of its assessment that chemical weapons have been used multiple times by the Syrian […]
Pre-Oslo Prisoners Still Obstacle To Palestinian-Israeli Talks
By Daoud Kuttab Amona Abed Rabo remembers the TV interview with Israeli President Shimon Peres quite well. Demonstrating with a photo of her son Issa Abed Rabo when US President Barack Obama visited Bethlehem, she repeated every question and answer of a TV interview with President Peres. She slows down and raises her voice when she gets […]
New Palestinian Prime Minister Faces Old Problems
By Daoud Kuttab Ever since the creation of the first Palestinian government headed by Mahmoud Abbas, there has been tension between the presidency and the prime minister’s office. At the time of that first government, there was pressure on Palestinians to shift as much power as possible away from former President Yasser Arafat and […]
Jerusalem Absentee Law A Major Roadblock to Peace
By Daoud Kuttab One of the most controversial Israeli laws that have been attacked as having a racist connotation was passed in the Israeli Knesset in 1950. The Absentee Law considered property belonging to Palestinians who left their lands and homes during the 1948 war to automatically belong to the Custodian of Absentee Property. This controversial […]
Jordanian Media Licensing Law Shuts Down 300 Websites
By Daoud Kuttab In a surprise move only two weeks after promises to the contrary, the Jordanian government ordered three local Internet service providers to shut down nearly 300 news websites that have not been licensed by the government-run Press and Publications Department. The decision ordered midday June 2 followed 10 months of promises by the […]
Blocking websites is a punishment for Jordanians
By Daoud Kuttab Thirteen years ago I attended an international event in Amman where then minister of information Saleh Qallab spoke enthusiastically about Jordan’s new media policy. He specifically stressed the fact that the Internet will be an open and free space for everyone. I was so impressed that I decided there and then […]
Hamdallah’s Complicated Job As Palestinian Prime Minister
By Daoud Kuttab It is not clear what we can conclude from the appointment of Rami Hamdallah to head the Palestinian government following the resignation of Salam Fayyad. On the one hand, Hamdallah is known during his long term as the president of Palestine’s largest university as an efficient, centralized bureaucrat who gets the job done. On […]