Category: Articles

Following appeared in the Jordan Times Newspaper By Daoud Kuttab The political black hole that the Arab Israeli conflict has entered and the ageing Palestinian leader forced again the discussion of what will happen in the post-Abbas era. Two news items recently pointed to the succession crisis in the Palestinian leadership: the sudden removal of…

By Daoud Kuttab The status of Islam’s third-holiest site, Al-Aqsa Mosque, has been the subject of many academic and research efforts, most of them with an ideological bias. Israeli Jews consider the site of utmost importance to them and most research associated with Israel reflects this view. Some right-wing Israelis often try to stir up other Jews…

By Daoud Kuttab When Mohammad Badarneh made it to Jerusalem, he was in awe. He spent hours walking the streets of the Old City, praying at Islam’s third holiest site, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, while posting pictures of what he saw on hisFacebook page. Badarneh, who hails from the…

Following appeared in the Jordan Times newspaper By Daoud Kuttab The absence of a political horizon has strengthened Palestinians’ attempts to reach a different form of independence. Failure on the political front made them work on a more doable idea: to empower Gaza and the West Bank economically through improving trade with their natural Arab…

By Daoud Kuttab Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi blasted Israeli attempts to pre-empt the UN report on the Gaza Strip, saying that they’re trying to control the narrative. “They are trying to create a misleading and fabricated narrative so people can react to it,” Ashrawi told Al-Monitor.  The senior Palestinian official said…

By Daoud Kuttab The UN’s recently appointed Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov has sounded a strong warning about the absence of any political process. In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Mladenov spoke of the need for the new Israeli government to make a move for peace, calling the current status quo “ultimately untenable.” The peace envoy…

By Daoud Kuttab The political and security situation in the Gaza Strip has become more complicated with the rise of Palestinian groups that are reportedly sympathetic to the Islamic State (IS) and operate under its banner.  While radical jihadist Salafist elements have existed in Gaza for years, this is the first time that responsibility for a…

Following appeared in the Jordan times newspaper By Daoud Kuttab For the first time in 48 years, Palestinians are playing in a much more level playing field. By strategically moving into the non-violent field, Palestinians are in a much stronger position to make an impact in their decades-long struggle. Whenever Palestinians fought the Israelis in…

Following appeard in the Jordan Times newspaper To many people, the entire non-violent Palestinian movement came down to a moment last Friday in Zurich. Many would argue that head of the Palestinian Football Federation Jibril Rjoub blinked at that moment. In the very last seconds of a match that witnessed a steadfast and unyielding determination,…

By Daoud Kuttab Students graduating from church-run schools in the Holy Land are among the best performing and successful. Some of these educational institutions recently received worldwide visibility with the canonization of two Palestinian nuns whose selfless efforts wereinstrumental in raising the level of education in what is now Palestine and Israel.  Christian schools in Israel, however, are facing severe financial…