Jordanian Cabinet Fumbles Time Change Challenge
By Daoud Kuttab The Jordanian Cabinet’s decision to scrap wintertime came at the most difficult time: one day before a long holiday and also one day before the original plan to start wintertime. Furthermore, the rationale for the decision was never fully discussed and defended by those taking it. For years, Jordanian governments determined the seasonal time […]
Did Gaza Save Jordan?
By Daoud Kuttab The Israeli onslaught on Gaza this week coincided with one of the worst periods in Jordan’s history.Protesters, angry with the price hike of energy products, were more violent and protests larger and more widespread than the Kingdom ever witnessed. Faced with these unprecedented and extensive demonstrations, Jordan’s security personnel were spread very […]
The Case for Palestine
By Daoud Kuttab Nowhere are the grievances that perpetuate violence and war more evident than they are in Palestine today. But the world’s politicians continue to dance around the problem, rather than confront it. The recent deadly violence in Gaza is only the latest proof that people living under occupation and siege need a political […]
Gaza’s Bloodshed Now Demands Unity of Fatah and Hamas
By Daoud Kuttab The asymmetrical violence against the people of Gaza has again forced regional and international players to consider what to do about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. When Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, and his wife visited a Gaza hospital with Arab ministers, they were confronted with the arrival of families whose loved ones […]
Obama II Has a Rare Opportunity to Forge Mideast Peace
By Daoud Kuttab A real possibility exists for a Middle East peace in President Obama’s second term. Palestinians and Arabs are ready to make major concessions and the Israelis know that time is not on their side if they still want a democratic state with a Jewish majority. The world had an exaggerated expectation of […]
Will Unshackled Politicians Deliver Peace in Palestine?
By Daoud Kuttab Reelected U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to be able to conduct policy with much more vigor. While on domestic and economic issues he will need to work with a Republican House (the Senate will be Democratic), foreign relations is where the executive branch (the White House and the State Department) has […]
Economics vs. Politics in Jordan
By Daoud Kuttab Politics and economics are always intertwined. In Jordan, this was clearly the case when the government raised energy prices. Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour went to great lengths on Jordan TV Tuesday night to explain to the Jordanian public why his government was forced to hike prices of gasoline, kerosene, diesel and cooking gas. But […]
War on Gaza Without Political Horizon Futile
By Daoud Kuttab Once again we are witnessing a sharp escalation of violence without any pretense of looking for a political horizon. Israel is shelling Gaza from land, sea and air without even thinking about a political perspective. Pundits and activists will argue over who is to blamefor the current round of violence. Was it theassassination of […]
Egypt weighs heavily on Jordanian politics
By Daoud Kuttab The behavior of Jordan’s Royal Court in the days following the official announcement of the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammad Mursi in Egypt’s presidential election tells an intriguing story. At first, Jordan’s King Abdullah II hesitated to sign a long-sought-after election law. This was followed by approval of the law, a […]
Israel and Palestine after Oslo Accords
By Daoud Kuttab On Sept. 13, 1993, Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas met on the South Lawn of the White House to sign the Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles, or the Oslo Accords. PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin then sealed the agreement with an historic handshake. The Oslo Accords – the […]