US Appeals Court Rejects ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ on Passport
By Daoud Kuttab The case before the US Court of Appeals in Washington involved whether an American couple could register their son as being born in “Jerusalem, Israel.†Challenging the US State Department in the suit were, in addition to the child’s parents, were a number of major prominent US Jewish organizations — including […]
Leap of Faith Needed For Israeli-Palestinian Talks
By Daoud Kuttab Many analysts and activists are questioning the wisdom of the Palestinian leadership agreeing to preliminary talks in Washington, without having secured the coveted settlement freeze and the declaration by Israel that the 1967 borders are the basis of the negotiations. Palestinians and Israelis have debated whether these issues are considered preconditions to peace talks or […]
US Court rejects to connect Jerusalem with Israel
By Daoud Kuttab The city of Jerusalem has many diplomatic missions that have the official title of consulate general. These include the US, most Western European and Scandinavian countries, as well as Turkey. These diplomatic missions report directly to their capitals and they are not accountable officially to their counterparts from their country’s diplomatic missions […]
Full text of DC Appeals Court ruling re Jerusalem
United States Court of Appeals FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT Argued March 19, 2013 Decided July 23, 2013 No. 07-5347 MENACHEM BINYAMIN ZIVOTOFSKY, BY HIS PARENTS AND GUARDIANS ARI Z. AND NAOMI SIEGMAN ZIVOTOFSKY, APPELLANT v. SECRETARY OF STATE, APPELLEE Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (No. 03cv01921) Nathan Lewin argued the […]
Kerry’s Best Kept Secret On the Middle East
By Daoud Kuttab A well-known American bureau chief in Israel of a major US newspaper always prided himself with knowing the key to getting Israel to politically move in the peace process. You must use invisible hands to hurt them, he told me shortly after the first intifada broke out. The Israelis must feel the pain […]
Political Will Lacking For Israel-Palestine Peace
By Daoud Kuttab The unexpected and serious deterioration of the health of Teresa Heinz Kerry may delay or cancel a reportedly record sixth visit by America’s top diplomat to the Middle East. But if and when US Secretary of State John Kerry does make it to the region, he will find it even more troubling than it […]
Does Morsi’s Fall Mark Failure of Islamism?
By Daoud Kuttab Eighty-five years after its establishment and only one year after one of its followers was elected the president of Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood is experiencing an unprecedented nakba (catastrophe), whose effects are being felt throughout the region. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded as a Sunni Islamist religious, political and social movement in Ismailia, Egypt, by Hassan […]
Hamas, First Victim of Egypt Revolt
By Daoud Kuttab Hamas stands to be the major loser in the latest popular revolt in Egypt, which pits millions of Egyptians against now deposed President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. The Islamic Resistance Movement, known for its Arabic acronym Hamas, a year ago welcomed Morsi’s election. Both Hamas and Morsi ideologically belong to the […]
Arabs need a First Amendment
By Daoud Kuttab I thought I would use my column, which appears on US Independence Day, to celebrate one of America’s most valued contribution to the world: the First Amendment. Here is the exact text of the amendment adopted in 1791 as part of 10 amendments that make up the US Bill of Rights: “Congress […]
Secret Israel-Palestine Talks Might Yield Results
By Daoud Kuttab US Secretary of State John Kerry is clocking more hours than most US diplomats in trying to bring the Palestinian and Israeli leaders back to the negotiating table. All sides confirm that progress is being made and gaps are being tightened, but little information on the details of these talks is […]