Former Knesset speaker declares Zionism over
By Daoud Kuttab When Avraham Burg, former Knesset speaker and head of the Jewish Agency, attended a meeting of the socialist-inclined Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality), he caught many people off guard. But the former Labor Party leader feels that anyone following his work should not be surprised. “I left Zionism a […]
‘Palestine’ Is Becoming a Bad Word in Washington
By Daoud Kuttab The U.S. response to the efforts by Palestinian president to join international organizations, including the International Criminal Court (ICC), is puzzling. The spokeswoman of the U.S. State Department made an unusual attack in trying to express Washington’s opposition. “The United States does not believe Palestine is a sovereign state and, therefore, does […]
How to Win the Ideological Battle Against Extremism
By Daoud Kuttab I am quite certain that the military war on DAESH (ISIS) will be largely won in 2015. The anger that has engulfed Jordan after learning of the heinous crime against the pilot Muath Kassasbeh will certainly help ensure that this war is won militarily. This is the second time in six months […]
Fatah power struggle leads to missing paychecks in Gaza
By Daoud Kuttab Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was haunted last week by the Arabic saying “cutting livelihood is worse than cutting necks.†Abbas had stopped payment on the salaries of more than 200 security officers suspected of being loyal to renegade Fatah leaderMohammed Dahlan. When the Palestinian government transferred 60% of December salaries on Jan. 20, 220 Gaza-based security […]
Greece election result brings hope to Palestinians
By Daoud Kuttab The victory of the Greek Syriza Party, which won 149 out of 300 parliamentary seats, has brought major concerns for Israel but was welcomed by the Palestinians. The radical left-wing party scored a decisive victory in the snap elections held Jan. 25Â in Greece. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well as the left-wing […]
New Greek PM Supports Palestinian Rights
By Daoud Kuttab The results of the snap elections in Greece, which propelled the leftist Syriza Party to power this week, sent shockwaves to many world capitals. Alexis Tsipras, the new prime minister, has vowed to fulfill his electoral promises, including reversing the harsh austerity plans that Europe has imposed on his country. French President […]
Palestinian political unity welcomed for Israeli elections
By Daoud Kuttab Good cartoonists can summarize major issues with a simple image. The Palestinian cartoonist Khalil Abu Arafe summed up the Palestinians’ warm welcome for the joint list of Palestinian citizens of Israel to compete in the Israeli parliamentary elections scheduled for March 17. In a Jan. 24 cartoon, Abu Arafe depicts Ayman Odeh, […]
Did US backtrack on Palestinian statehood to please Israel?
By Daoud Kuttab The United States, which has progressively moved toward recognizing the State of Palestine, has suddenly backed away from even using the word Palestine. Were the previous positions merely lip service and are we now witnessing the true US position, or did the United States backtrack to please Israel? A look at the […]
Is Quartet making comeback?
By Daoud Kuttab The statement was made Jan. 15 by US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power in New York. The setting was the UN Security Council’s monthly debate on the Middle East, the scene of a failed attempt to set an end date to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The justification, as expressed by Power, […]
Joint Responsibility for Freedom of Expression Worldwide
By Daoud Kuttab Social media activists have filled cyberspace with comments and arguments,criticising or justifying the presence of this or that leader at the gathering held in Paris in support of the people of France after the brutal killing, in two separate attacks on journalists, cartoonists, policemen and everyday shoppers in a Jewish supermarket. Palestinian […]