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Israel Offers Deportation To Samer Issawi
By Daoud Kuttab The case of the hunger-striking Palestinian political prisoner Samer Issawi has returned to the spotlight one of the most notorious human rights violations by an occupying power: deportation. Israel has offered Issawi deportation rather than outright release, despite not being able to charge him or try him for a specific crime or…
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Palestinians in Jerusalem Skeptical of Arab Support
By Daoud Kuttab Before the Arab League summit ended its one-day deliberations Tuesday, Palestinians were already publicly skeptical about the effectiveness of Arabs in as far as their ability to do anything about Jerusalem. Khalil Assali, a Jerusalemite, and one of the most consistent writers on Jerusalem, blasted Arab leaders for their repeated promises, but failures when…
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Anthony Lewis’ Column about me
In memory of the late Anthony Lewis of the New York Times. I reprint a column he wrote about me Lese Arafat’s Majeste By ANTHONY LEWIS Published: May 26, 1997 Imagine an American President having the head of C-Span thrown in jail because he broadcast sessions of Congress in which the President was criticized. That…
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The Obama Gamble
By Daoud Kuttab My column in the NY Times Room for Debate Without Addressing Settlements, There’s Little Hope A charitable view of the Obama charm offensive in Israel requires that we assume the president is rewarding the Israeli occupiers in hopes they will somehow agree to do what is right. In answering a question from…
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Palestinian Journalists Banned From Covering Obama Visit
By Daoud Kuttab When it became clear that US President Barack Obama was to visit Ramallah and hold a press conference, local and foreign journalists quickly applied online for the special accreditation created for the event. More than 250 foreign and 140 Palestinian journalists were accredited. On the eve of the visit, however, 18 Palestinian journalists…
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Point to raise during Obama’s visit
Following appeared in The Jordan Times By Daoud Kuttab Why can’t Palestinians travel between West Bank and Gaza? The question should be asked now as everyone is preparing for US President Barack Obama’s visit to the region. During a visit to Gaza, I was surprised by the number of Palestinians I met, who were in…
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Broadcasters get push in Cairo
Following appeared in The Jordan Times By Daoud Kuttab Maghdis was living in the US when the Qadhafi regime fell in Libya. A linguist by profession, Maghdis had established an NGO to help his community of Imazighen. Muammar Qadhafi had banned his people from using their language. With Qadhafi gone, Maghdis decided to return to…
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Nuclear energy debate absent
Following appeared in The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab One of the most important decisions regarding the future of Jordan is being taken with most of the country in total darkness. The Washington Post reported last week that within the next month, the Jordanian government will decide which of two consortiums will be building Jordan’s…
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The Obama factor
Following appeared in the Jordan Times By Daoud Kuttab The visit of US President Barack Obama to the Middle East is a welcome step. It has elevated interest in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at a time when other regional issues have taken over regional and world interest. Having the presidential office interested in this conflict needs…
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Helping Jerusalem
Following appeared in The Jordan Times By Daoud Kuttab The issue of Jerusalem has always been a hot topic at Arab summits. If there were a Guinness Book record for the number of times the city of Jerusalem was mentioned at these meetings — not of the actual support, however — this would probably be…